Whispers in the Dark
by crichton55
Summary: An old friend returns, and Ash soon learns that he is the only thing that stands in Team Rocket's way of conquering Johto. But in a rapid, but deadly, turn of events, he realizes the shocking truth behind Giovanni's unknown past. Darkish Ash/Misty fic.
1. Return of an Old Friend

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter I: Return of an Old Friend

By: Crichton55

A/N: This is the first chapter of the first installment in the three-part saga entitled "Whispers in the Dark". This is my first real fanfiction that I really plan on finishing, and possibly continuing, so again, bear with me. Please read and review! I have nothing left to say, so on with the fic! (Italics mean thoughts, unless otherwise implied, with the exception of Pikachu.)

-Ilex Forest-

Ash took off his cap and set it beside the sleeping bag. He yawned loudly and lay down, and Pikachu gave a low groan as he curled up into a small, yellow ball beside his trainer. Misty unrolled her aqua-blue bag and set it down on the soft dirt a few feet away. "Good night, Brock. Good night, Pikachu. G'night, Misty."

"Good night, Ash."

"Pi Pika Pikapi."

"Good night, Ash." Sweet dreams. I love you, Misty thought to herself. She gave him a soft smile before averting her gaze to the night sky. The fantastic array of wispy white smears and glittering dots greeted her stare, and soon she began to feel her eyelids begin to grow heavy.

Ash rolled onto his side and stared at Misty absentmindedly. He did not want to close his eyes, yet his eyelids seemed to only gain in weight. Misty's beautiful bunch of red hair blurred as he fought for consciousness, but at last he gave up, and he felt sleep overtake him. Misty disappeared from view.

Blackness. That's all he saw. Everything around him, dark. There was no sound that greeted his ears, nor wind that blew across his skin. Nothingness. Ash spun around several times, fruitlessly trying to make sense of where he was. He had to be dreaming. He was sure that this black void was not real, merely a figment of his imagination. He looked down and saw nothing. He was standing on absolutely nothing, though he could still feel gravity's grip on him.

Light flooded around him, and Ash found himself in the center of a stadium. He stood in the middle of the white outline of a PokéBall that adorned the center of a brown field. Black stands surrounded the field; beyond which stood a magnificent black tower that seemed to stretch into the cloudy sky.

A lone gray figure glided slowly over to him. Ash stood still, his gaze transfixed upon the creature. Its arms looked like gray bones and looked like twigs in comparison to the size of its abdomen, which looked to be at least a foot in diameter. It's head somewhat resembled a gray skull with two blunt horns growing out the back. A long, thick tail curled behind it, giving it the illusion of a large, deformed cat. Its eyes glowed bright blue as it hovered in front of Ash.

He felt fear pollute him. Who was this? What was this? It had to be some kind of Pokémon; no human Ash had ever seen looked quite as bizarre as this. He tried to run in the opposite direction, but before he could take two steps he found himself on the ground, rubbing his face. What had he run into? There hadn't been anything there to knock him over.

A deep voice greeted his ears. "That's called a Barrier, Ash." Ash got up quickly and turned to look at the gray Pokémon that continued to hover in place. "Wh-what?" he croaked in confusion.

The Pokémon chuckled softly, and the glowing blue color disappeared from its eyes. "I see why Misty calls you 'dense'," it said. "Barrier. It's a kind of energy force-field. No matter or radiation can pass through-"

Ash finally found his voice. "Don't care," he interrupted swiftly. "Who are you? Why are you in my dream?" He felt his voice slowly rise, and he realized that he had raised his hand and had pointed accusingly at the gray Pokémon. His arm trembled slightly as he lowered it.

The Pokémon's eyes began to glow blood red, and a red aura of light encircled around Ash. Immediately he felt a surge of pain all over his body, as though white-hot knives were piercing him. He fell to the floor and felt himself start to lose control of his limbs. His arms and legs flailed around violently, kicking and beating the ground mercilessly. He no longer knew who he was. He only knew pain; he could only think about the burning plague that continued to surge through him.

As quickly as the pain came, it vanished. The feel of the cooler air around him flooded back, and he realized that his breathing was very heavy. He felt sweat slide down his face as he attempted to stand. "What the hell was that?"

"Pain," the gray Pokémon put simply, and Ash gave a loud snicker of sarcasm as he stood up. "Ha! Thank you, Dr. Smartass! I was having so much difficulty figuring that out. Thank you," he blurted out without thinking, but the gray Pokémon did not smile as the scarlet in its eye faded.

"You think this is a joke? That was merely a fraction of the pain you would experience if you do nothing!" it said harshly. Ash shook his head. "What are you talking about?" he asked, eyeing the Pokémon questioningly, as though expecting the act of staring it down would end this pointless encounter. "Who are you?"

The figure's expression remained neutral. "You still don't remember me, Ash?" it said. "I expected as much. Wiping someone's memory tends to have that effect. I am Mewtwo, the strongest Pokémon in the world." Ash sensed a bit of pride in Mewtwo's low telepathic voice, but quickly dispensed the useless thought.

Mewtwo, shaking his head with a look of pity on his face, breathed a long sigh, letting the air expel from his lungs at a slow rate. "This isn't the same world you entered when you started your fateful Pokémon journey a few years ago, Ash. Open your eyes and look around you!" Mewtwo's voice was steadily rising from calm to a harsh, blazing tone with each word he spoke. "Team Rocket is multiplying in number and growing in power, Ketchum! They are now at the point that I myself cannot destroy them single-handedly! Soon they will have grown strong enough to take over the entirety of Johto. To answer your question, human, imagine your friends, your closest allies, coughing up blood from a poison gas attack! Imagine your buddy Pikachu being shot by an assault rifle! (Ash cringed at the very thought.) Or envision the love of your life, that beautiful redheaded girl that seems to follow you everywhere for no apparent reason, being blown up by a roadside bomb! This region is under siege by Team Rocket! Is ANY of this sinking in to that thick skull of yours?!" Mewtwo roared, and Ash saw a hint of scarlet flash across his rectangular eyes.

Ash could not speak or make any type of bodily movement. He saw mental images of Brock's blood on the ground, Pikachu's limp and broken body, and, worst of all, Misty being torn to shreds by a simple C4 explosive. He gave a large grimace at the thought and felt a twinge of nervousness course through him, then anger.

Team Rocket. He had always hated them, hated the organization. That stupid group of thugs had been trouble for him from day one, and this time they had gone too far. He was not going to let them endanger him and his friends, and especially not Misty.

Finally, he found his voice. "What do you want me to do?" Ash inquired. His voice was filled with his hatred of Team Rocket. Mewtwo gave a small grin. "Lie low and wait, Ash Ketchum. Make the most of what little time you have left. I will see you far sooner than you think," he responded with a hint of eagerness in his voice.

Ash opened his sleepless eyes, the endless void of the day lit sky and the faces of Misty, Brock, and Pikachu obscuring his vision. He made no motion to rub the nonexistent sleep out of his eyes. Instead he rose out of his sleeping bag and stood up.

"Once we arrive in Goldenrod, we go straight over to the Pokémon center; we should stay there and lie low. We don't have time to argue, Misty! Just pack up your stuff!" he snapped, seeing that Misty had opened her mouth in protest. Ash grabbed his hat and flipped it onto his head.

The next grueling fifteen minutes were silently spent packing their gear, neither Misty nor Brock even daring to look Ash in his determined and thought-filled eyes while he packed up at previously unrecorded speeds. Pikachu seemed to refuse to go within a three-foot radius of his trainer, and hesitated for a fraction of a second when Ash allowed him back up onto his shoulder.

Questions began to zoom through Ash's sore mind. Who was this "Mewtwo" Pokémon that had arisen in his dream that he expected to be about Misty? Why hadn't he realized that Jessie, James, and Meowth hadn't shown themselves in the past three days? Where were they now and what kind of failure were they planning to assault him and his friends with this time? One thing was for certain: if the creature in his dream was correct, he needed to get him and his friends to the safety of Goldenrod's Pokémon Center, and fast.

A/N: There you have it, the first chapter! Please R&R.


	2. Whispers in the Dark

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 2: Whispers in the Dark

By: crichton55

A/N: Here you are, the second chapter in the "Whispers in the Dark" saga. This chapter is considerably longer that the others, so bear with this one. I'm running out of things to say, so on with the third (technically, if you count "In the Arms of an Angel" as the prologue) installment of "Whispers in the Dark." Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Nobody in the small group dared to question the way Ash was behaving on the long hike towards Goldenrod City, for he repeatedly halted his friends several times for up to thirty seconds at a time. For what seemed like several hours of silent walking, with the only sounds emitting from their footsteps and the environment around them, everyone save Ash was afraid to upset his unexpectedly unpredictable actions. As they finally crossed the long-awaited Goldenrod city limits, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu stopped abruptly and stared at the tall, yellow buildings, marveling at their beauty that left Ash unimpressed.

Ash merely kept walking. "C'mon, guys! We need to get to the Pokemon Center, fast!" he barked, not bothering to permit the ten foot gap between him and his friends become any shorter. Misty tore her stare from the Goldenrod skyline and fixated a glare of annoyance mixed with rage on Ash. "Since when did your persistence equal your stubbornness, Ash?" snapped Misty over the lengthening gap that existed between them.

Ash did not reply, instead answering her by breaking into a flat-out run when he caught sight of his destination over the hill that had been obscuring his vision. His excitement was short-lived when he arrived at the automatic sliding doors, which opened as expected, an action to which Ash paid no attention. Posted on a poster in big, bold letters were the words that caught him off-guard: "All rooms occupied."

Displeased, Ash attempted to walk back the way in which he arrived, but another sign, posted below the "occupied" sign, caught his attention just as the last one had. He stared at this poster a few seconds longer, his brain starting to emerge from his unpredictable attitude and revert back to its normal state. He stood there, eyes transfixed on the sign that clearly read in smaller letters, "Karaoke Contest. Tonight at 7:00 PM. Come sing your favorite tunes!! Mystery prize awarded to the best performer!!"

Ash's mind whirred to life at the sudden idea of singing in the contest that the poster advertised. His brain was rapidly clogged with the vision of singing a sappy love song and dedicating it to Misty, seeing her face plastered with the love he already knew existed. He ran inside, through the automatic doors that were still permitting his entry, and zoomed towards the front desk, greeted by the all too familiar face of Nurse Joy, who smiled upon his appearance.

"Do you have a song list for the Karaoke contest tonight?" asked Ash quickly. Nurse Joy continued to smile at him, not bothering to pay attention to the fact that Ash had not said hello. "Why, yes, I do. Here you are." She handed him a stapled set of three pages, each with a long alphabetical song list on either side. Ash thanked her and proceeded to skim across the available song names, complete with artist, while slowly walking over the collection of reading chairs and couches that sat a short distance away from the front desk. He absentmindedly sat down in a crimson red loveseat, thoroughly engrossed by the three page pamphlet of the offered songs and not fully aware where exactly he planted his hindquarters.

Misty, Brock, and Pikachu, forgotten by Ash, burst through the still open doors, each with their own conglomeration of anger written all over their contorted faces. They strode over to him, Brock not bothering to excuse himself as he bumped into a black-haired teenage girl on his way over to the collection of seats. Ash looked up upon seeing their shadows engulf him and grinned rather innocently.

Misty was the first to speak. "What the hell has gotten into you, Ketchum? Are you really that dense enough to leave us behind while you enjoy the comfort of this…Ash, why are you sitting in a loveseat?" It was then that Ash finally realized where he had ended up, for he looked at what he was sitting in, turned back to Misty, and shrugged. Misty, all anger that had been directed towards her love suddenly becoming nonexistent, giggled and sat down next to him, peering curiously at what he had been reading.

Brock, however, didn't think that Ash's brief and sudden runaway was all too important. But instead of demanding an answer to the two and a half hour old question of why Ash had been so in control that morning, his attention was diverted to the pamphlet that he and Misty were skimming over. "What's that you've got, Ash?" He craned his head to get a better look of the center of attention.

"It seems to be true that some mice are more observant than others. Take a look at that wall over there. See that flyer? There's one over on the sliding door when we came in…something about a karaoke contest." Ash added, pointing to a nearby wall to his right upon seeing Brock's confused expression. Brock sank into a state of even deeper confusion when he heard this. He looked back at Ash.

"You're entering? Can you even sing?" teased Brock, nudging Ash in the shoulder and laughing. "Are you kidding? I can sing great!" Ash protested, giving the verbal attitude of great annoyance yet plastering a smile onto his face. Brock folded his arms, smiling as thought to say that he didn't believe Ash. "You've never told us that."

"You never asked," Ash replied before burying his nose in the pamphlet once more.

* * *

Ash was starting to regret his decision. His whole body was visibly trembling, a testament to the fear that was bottled up inside his mind, threatening to drive him mad. The fact that there was an increasingly large crown conglomerated together in the medium-sized multipurpose room of the Pokemon Center wasn't helping matters much either. But as he sat there in his uncomfortable metal chair, he thought involuntarily of why he was going to sing in front of the crowd that he hated to be in front of. He thought of Misty and how he knew that she loved him but her not knowing about his love for her.

"Our next singer will be Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Nurse Joy's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, jarring Ash out of his deep and thought-filled reverie. He stood up and strode up to the microphone, slowly becoming aware that his shaking had stopped, his fear gone. When he reached the microphone, he held up his hand briefly to stem the intense flow of applause that had originated at the calling of his name. As the cheering subsided, he sighed deeply and addressed his audience.

"Some of you may know me, some of you may not," he said, pausing to let the statement sink in. "I'm not here to give you an 'I Have a Dream' speech, however I will say this. My father once believed that true friends are the ultimate key in achieving a lifelong dream. I haven't had many friends along my travels these last few years of chasing my dream, but three have stuck by me almost every step of the way. I thank them with all my heart and soul for always being there for me. I haven't achieved my ultimate goal of becoming a Pokémon Master as of yet, but I intent to do so with my best friends, Misty, Brock, and last but certainly not least, my old pal Pikachu! Let's hear it for them!" The room exploded into a frenzy of clapping and cheering, people from every corner of the multipurpose room creating as much ruckus as possible.

Ash found Misty sitting down amongst all the people that had stood up to applaud his speech, staring at him with an expression of pure joy. Tears were starting to sparkle in her aqua-blue eyes as she gazed into his eyes with a broad grin on her face, an action to which Ash winked before diverting his attention back to the crowd he once hated to be in front of.

"Finally, I'd personally like to dedicate this song to a very special friend of mine," he continued. "I dedicate this song to someone who's always been there for me, someone whom I have come to trust with my heart just as she has entrusted her heart with me. Misty Waterflower, this one is for you." He turned to gaze into Misty's eyes for a fraction of a second, winking yet again. His voice seemed to echo in the endless void of Misty's numb mind.

Despite the lies that you're making  
Your love is mine for the taking  
My love is just waiting  
To turn your tears to roses

The volume of the music skyrocketed suddenly, transforming from a light beat to a loud and adrenaline pumping nightmare for guitarists. Some people in the audience were forced to plug their protesting ears at the onslaught of the new volume level. Ash's singing voice was heavenly. Misty never knew he was that good at what he was doing in front of everyone.

Despite the lies that you're making  
Your love is mine for the taking  
My love is just waiting  
To turn your tears to roses

I will be the one that's gonna hold you  
I will be the one that you run to  
My love is a burning, consuming fire

No, you'll never be alone  
When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars  
Hear my whispers in the dark  
No, you'll never be alone  
When darkness comes you know I'm never far  
Hear the whispers in the dark  
Whispers in the dark

You feel so lonely and ragged  
You lay there broken and naked  
My love is just waiting  
To clothe you in crimson roses

I will be the one that's gonna find you  
I will be the one that's gonna guide you  
My love is a burning, consuming fire

No, you'll never be alone  
When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars  
Hear my whispers in the dark  
No, you'll never be alone  
When darkness comes you know I'm never far  
Hear the whispers in the dark

Misty paid no attention to the solo that started up, for she was too engrossed in Ash's flawless performance. Tears were now flowing down her cheeks as if they had been released from a faucet turned to full blast.

No! You'll never be alone!  
When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars  
Hear the whispers in the dark  
No, you'll never be alone  
When darkness comes you know I'm never far  
Hear the whispers in the dark  
Whispers in the dark  
Whispers in the dark  
Whispers in the Dark!

The song abruptly ended, the overwhelming uproar of applause blasting through the room as if a bomb had gone off, rippling throughout the room with more force than the song Ash had just completed. Misty went utterly berserk, doing everything in her power to struggle through the dense mob of people to the front of the crowd. Ash allowed the rampage of clapping and cheering to last for a few more seconds before raising his hand once more, causing the immense noise and chaos to secede from the room.

Nurse Joy whispered something to another nurse, holding up what looked like a gift-wrapped box and nodding her head. Ash noticed this out of his peripheral vision and quickly assumed that he had won the grand prize. He opened his mouth to say what had been itching to explode from the depths of his brain ever since he first woke up that morning, but Nurse Joy was the first to speak as she strode over to the microphone.

"I believe we have a new Karaoke Champion, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town...what, Ash? No more applause? Well, suit yourself. Please hold your applause. I believe Ash has something more to say," she added to the crowd, causing several people to issue audible groans of displeasure. She pushed the box that Ash had spied a moment before into Ash's hands and walked off stage in a huff, apparently tired of Ash's persistent speaking.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy. I wish that whatever this belonged to me. But, alas, I cannot accept the title of Champion. (Several people gave off loud gasps of disbelief) No, that title goes to someone else. My best friend, Misty, is the real Champion tonight. Whatever is in this box, it belongs to her now," he finished simply, walking out from under the spotlight of attention and towards the back door, motioning with his index finger for Misty, Brock, and Pikachu to follow suit. No clapping was heard as Ash and his friends turned the corner and disappeared from view.

Misty couldn't think through the mental daze in which she had been confined. As they entered the foyer of the Pokémon Center, Ash led the group over to the collection of chairs and couches they had previously visited, turning to face Brock as he sat down in the same red loveseat. "Brock, there's a handful of pretty girls over there in the corner. Go and have yourself some fun for a moment," Ash teased, watching Brock's expression light up with renewed interest as he ran swiftly over to the group of girls.

Misty bore the look of confusion as she turned to face her love. "Why tell him that?" she asked curiously with a hint of laughter in her voice. Ash smiled. "To get rid of loverboy." He proceeded to divert his attention to the velvet box which he had won.

Misty's heart began to pound in her chest; somehow she knew what was coming, yet the tears that threatened to flow down her cheeks did not hold back, tears that Ash wiped away gingerly with his thumb. He gazed into her blue eyes intently. "Misty, do you know why I dedicated that song to you? Do you know why that whatever this is belongs to you now?" His voice was calm, loving, and caring as he gazed further into his love's watery eyes. Misty began to nod her head, changed her mind in mid-gesture, then shook her head, her flaming red hair that was let down to the middle of her back flowing as her head shook. "It's because I'm not afraid anymore to admit the truth, a truth that has caused me daily emotional turmoil. I love you, Misty. I love you just like you showed that you love me with that kiss you gave me early this morning…yes, you did wake me up but I chose not to do anything."

Ash's voice was not quavering as he spoke, his speech still possessing the fearless quality it had during the time he stood in front of the enormous crowd of singers and trainers. Misty gasped at what Ash had told her. He had felt the kiss she had not been able to resist giving him the previous night. Her mind began to go berserk. _'He loves me," _was all the output her mind was capable of, for she began to sob on Ash's shoulder, a shoulder that she had longed to lean against for so long. She had never felt so happy in her entire life, happier than when she realized that the horrific nightmare she had experienced that morning had been nothing but a dream.

Ash felt the tears begin to seep through his blue vest as he raised Misty's head up by one finger and looked her in the eye. His stare seemed to sooth her torrential downpour of tears that cascaded down her cheeks. "Ash, y-you don't know how long I've waited for you to say that. I love you, too, always forever." Her voice devolved down to a hushed whisper as the lights in the foyer went out, leaving them in almost absolute darkness. Misty nor Ash bothered to check who had turned out the lights, for they were too engrossed in each other's gaze to notice much of anything. A bright light illuminated the room as suddenly as the artificial light had gone out, originating from the furry little mouse Pokémon standing next to Ash and Misty's loveseat. "Pika!"

Ash leaned in and gave Misty a passionate kiss, a kiss that he knew marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life. Time started to slow down. Seconds seemed to last for hours as the newly found couple melted in each other's arms for the first but certainly not the last time.

A loud crack echoed throughout the foyer of the Pokémon Center, followed by an ear-shattering scream, and the light went out yet again.

* * *

A/N: Aww…I love a happy ending to a chapter and a cliffhanger to boot! Keep on reviewing. Bye for now!


	3. Invaluable Answers

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 3: Invaluable Answers

By: Crichton55

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Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Period. If I did, numerous space-time paradoxes would occur and would likely destroy the world. A computer is all I got.

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A loud crack echoed throughout the foyer of the Pokémon Center, followed by an ear shattering scream, and the light went out yet again. Ash and Misty tore apart from their passionate kiss, looking frantically around the dark room to locate the source of the disturbance. It didn't take Ash look to find the distraction.

Purple bolts of what looked to be electricity began to form around a point the exact location of which he could not see. It began to expand rapidly, the bolts beginning to crackle with increasing noise, and without any prior caution, the unidentified object was flung past his head with supernatural force. A sickening thud was heard as Ash whipped his head around just in time to see the vague outlines of Jessie, James, and Meowth crash against the wall behind him, their limp bodies hitting the floor with a sickening thud.

"Team Rocket! What are they doing-?" Ash's rhetorical question was drowned out by a low growl that seemed to come from the center of the darkened room. "Pikachu, try the lights, would you?" it said with a sigh. Ash's stomach sank to his feet. He knew that voice. His mind flashed a mental snapshot of his dream the previous night while Pikachu, shaking from head to foot in what Ash sensed to be total terror, had no choice but to obey the unknown and ominous voice.

Floating in the center of the room, looking around as if nothing had happened, was Mewtwo, surrounded by a sphere of rippling energy. Ash peered over to the corner to which he had sent Brock and saw that he was being clutched tightly by the girl he had bumped into several hours earlier. He quickly became aware that he was holding Misty too tightly, for she began making gasping noises. Releasing Misty from his vice-like grip, he looked over at the bodies of the trio that had tormented them on a regular basis, his anger towards them not changing at the sight of a trickle of blood running down Jessie's forehead.

Ash stood up from the loveseat on which he had been sitting and walked slowly over to Mewtwo, whose energy bubble disappeared in an instant as he floated down until he stood on two huge grey legs. "You almost got yourself killed, I hope you realize," sighed Mewtwo in his telepathic voice as he glared at Ash with his cat-like eyes. "What are you doing here?" Ash snapped, the images that the Pokémon before him forced upon his mind in his dream controlling his now volatile mood. Mewtwo's piercing gaze became narrower and more focused as if it were a faucet with someone pressing their thumb up against the spout.

"Right now, saving your life," he responded, eyes glowing blue once more as a lone bullet rose up from the floor before him, stopping at eye level. Ash took the bullet from out of thin air and examined it, slowly realizing that this tiny object was the cause of the loud crack that had permeated the large room. He returned his softened gaze back to Mewtwo, who did not change his angry expression, his eyes back to their normal shade of white.

"Do you believe it now, Ash? Do you believe the fact that Team Rocket is slowly beginning to take over this region, and that these three fools are just a tiny, pathetic fraction of what is in store for you if you do nothing?!" Mewtwo gestured over to the Team Rocket trio, still lying in a crumpled heap on the clean floor. Ash did not look over at Jessie, James, and Meowth, instead becoming more and more skeptical with each passing second. He did not speak, nor did he notice Misty rise from her seat and walk over to him.

"Ash, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here? Ash! Answer me!" she hissed, snapping her fingers in his face in order to gain his attention. Ash sighed and looked into Misty's stern eyes, proceeding to tell her the story what he had seen in his dream the night before. When he had finished giving a play-by-play account of what had occurred, Misty's expression was that of shock mixed with horror.

"I'm sorry, Misty, but that dream last night is the reason I was so hard on you this morning," Ash apologized sympathetically, placing a hand on his love's shoulder. After a few seconds of doing nothing save looking into her aqua-blue eyes with the softest face he could possibly muster, he returned his gaze to the original center of attention. "Mewtwo, I'm still at a loss. Would you mind telling me what all happened the last time we met?" Ash's voice was calm yet assertive, a tone that reflected the busy inner workings of his tired mind. Mewtwo's eyes began to glow blue once more as his lip curled into a smile. "No…but I can show you," he said, eyes glowing increasingly bright with each passing second.

Mental images began to race through Ash and his friend's minds faster than it took for their brains to properly register the fact that they were there. Ash, however, could see each picture clear as day as they raced by in his sleep-deprived head. Ash instantly realized that these were no ordinary pictures…they were his memories. A cut scene that contained a bit of memory of him being transformed into a human boulder followed a snapshot of him and his friends crossing an extremely rough sea on Team Rocket's phony Viking warship. His mind flashed to a brief memory of his Charizard engulfing Mewtwo in a ball of searing flames. A growling voice echoed in the sea of memories when he saw Mewtwo emerge from Charizard's deadly flame unscathed: "Your Charizard is poorly trained."

The string of memories flashing through their minds finished as quickly as it had come upon them, leaving Ash with a racing mind yet fewer unanswered question that what he had started with. "Why couldn't we remember all of this?" Ash blurted out without thinking about what to say first. He looked Mewtwo straight in the eyes once more, eyes that had returned to their lustrous white.

"Because you didn't need to know, Ash," answered Mewtwo, his smile turning into a deep frown. "You didn't need to be aware of the pain and suffering that I so regretfully caused that night, so I wiped clean your memories that I had tainted to hide what really happened. I wish that I could take back my arrogance and the fact that I could have ended your life if it weren't for your Pokémon." Mewtwo's voice had turned into that of a shameful child, his head lowered to view the barren tile floor.

Brock untangled himself from the girl's vise-like embrace and slowly made his way over to Ash's side, an action to which Ash paid no attention. Brock surveyed Mewtwo with a curious yet skeptical gaze. "You were the one that almost killed Ash on  
New Island!" he blurted out randomly.

There was a low but noisy growl of frustration followed by the sickening sound of wood against cranium as Misty whacked Brock over the head with her oversized tack hammer. "Well, duh, Mr. Slow-On-The-Uptake! Does it honestly take a string of lost memories and an old mallet to force into your head the fact that we are in the presence of a Pokemon who has the ability to kill? Or were you just flirting with those girls too long?" Misty was towering over Brock, who had ended up on the floor, with an expression of extreme irritation plastered on her face. "Look at all the pretty colors," was Brock's dazed answer. Several of the girls still huddled together in the corner giggled.

Mewtwo sighed yet again and proceeded to recapture the center of attention that had slipped away from him. "You seem to have misjudged me due to my history, human," said Mewtwo with an earnest voice. "But the past is the past, and times have changed, and so have I. I just saved your boyfriend's life after I once tried to destroy it." Mewtwo began to glare at Misty.

Ash glanced down at Brock, who sported a large lump on his forehead, then looked back up at Mewtwo and sighed. "For the second time, Mewtwo, what is it you want us to do? If it involves getting another badge, then count me in," he said eagerly, putting on a face that clearly showed his lust for the PlainBadge of Goldenrod.

Misty's low growl returned to the room as she pulled out her mallet once more and whacked Ash over the head with it, causing him to smash against the solid linoleum floor with a loud thud. Mewtwo chuckled, raising Ash telekinetically from the floor. "Alright, you two, you're already starting to act like you're married already. But we have a more serious matter on our hands here," he added rather hurriedly. Ash and Misty both blushed deep red.

"Okay, Mewtwo, you got my help. But how do you propose we fight something that even _you_ can't even beat?" Ash asked whilst rubbing his now sore nose. The psychic Pokemon smiled, clearly relieved that progress was finally being made. "Simple. We destroy the source. In this case, their headquarters," he answered without apprehension.

Ash frowned. He didn't like where this was going. "Well, where's the source?" he questioned slowly, his face contorting into a look of disappointment and frustration. "I-I…can h-help." Ash wheeled around to face the source of the hoarse and strained voice, eyes falling on the trio that had crashed into the wall a few minutes previous. Jessie had emerged from her forced state of unconsciousness and had started to speak over the pain of the impact.

Ash ran over to her, mind clouded with sudden and unexplainable anger at the girl that had made his life a living hell since the day his journey began. He knelt down quickly at Jessie's side and gripped her shoulder tightly. "Where's the base of Team Rocket? WHERE IS IT?! I swear if you don't tell me-" he roared.

"Ash, one thing you must understand before I tell you where it is, is that we didn't wish you any harm over the last couple of years," Jessie said softly, the trickle of now dried blood cascading down her forehead cracking as her head moved. Ash gasped slightly, releasing his vise-like grip on Jessie's shoulder as his face transformed its expression into that of care and compassion. "Y-you didn't?"

"No, of course not. We only acted like thieves so that we wouldn't be on the receiving end of Giovanni's firing squad. Giovanni is our highly tyrannical boss," Jessie added, noting the look of confusion on Ash's face. "We actually sort of liked you, Ash," she continued in the same soft voice. "We loved your style of battle, how you love and respect your Pokémon and don't push them beyond their limit. I just wish I could've done the same to mine." She sighed heavily, dropping her gaze from Ash to the floor, which she continued to stare at for a few seconds until Ash boldly placed a hand on Jessie's shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright. Really, it's cool." Ash felt like crying. He had just forgiven the trio that at times felt like they had no other option but to lie, cheat, and steal to make sure that Ash was as miserable as possible. Jessie looked up at him. "Thank you, Ash. But there is little time!" she said, her voice becoming more serious. "The secret base of Team Rocket is located just outside of Mount Silver. It's an isolated region of Johto that you can get to only from Kanto. I'm sorry, you must find your own way there. I must warn you, though, the guarding system is nearly as impenetrable as the walls are. Going in without the aid of your Pokemon is like walking through a gunfight wearing nothing but your boxers! It's suicide! The front door to the base requires two keys. Yes, the front door! It's the only way! There is no side door. I have one key, but you must find the guard that has the other, and you MUST get in undetected," she added, fishing around in her pocket and pulling out a shiny bronze key, which she handed to Ash with a trembling hand. Ash took it and shoved it into his own pocket. "Good luck, Ash."

Ash couldn't believe it. Jessie, notorious for her attitude and her usual tendency to "rob the poor to feed the rich," was wishing Ash good fortune in his impulsive quest to overpower an organization that she was a part of! "Thank you, Jessie," he said in a soft voice, standing up and walking over to his long forgotten friends. Misty was wearing an expression that resembled a person about to be sucked up by a tornado, whereas Brock had returned his attention to the girls in the corner and had begun flirting with them once more. So far, there existed no sign that he had been slapped yet.

Ash turned to Mewtwo instead of attempting to pry loverboy from his long-awaited prize. "Mewtwo, know anything about this base outside Mount Silver?" he inquired, abandoning the soft face and plastering on a serious gaze instead. The psychic Pokemon shuddered at the very mention of the location.

"Unfortunately, yes, I do. The Rockets there created a radioactive Serum that was shipped from there to my place of origin. They then injected me with this Serum upon my conception," Mewtwo droned, making it quite obvious that he did not wish to reveal his darkest secret. Ash's face lessened in seriousness and increased in curiosity as he heard Mewtwo's story. "What does this 'Serum' do exactly? Is it deadly?" he asked with inquisitiveness.

Mewtwo sighed. "Thankfully, no, it is not poisonous or meant to kill me. Its purpose is to take over my brain and land me in the control of whoever switches on the main machine located inside that base at the foot of Mt. Silver. The Serum reacts when it's exposed to an extremely high frequency, otherwise it's rendered completely useless. That machine in Team Rocket's base has the ability to create such a frequency. If that machine is turned on by Giovanni or any of the Rockets, I will be totally under their control and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it!" he fumed, his eyes beginning to glow blue once more in immeasurable anger.

Ash immediately sensed imminent danger as Mewtwo's glowing eyes increased in brightness, yet he did not seek the shelter of the conglomeration of loveseats and couches that sat behind him. "Hey! Mewtwo! Calm down, alright! Save your energy for when we really need it!" he shouted, waving his arms in front of Mewtwo frantically in an effort to curb the Pokemon's destructive anger, a fury that he did not want to witness twice in his life.

The bluish glow that emanated from Mewtwo's eyes began to subside, much to Ash's relief. "Alright, fine. You win, Ketchum. Can we go now? I've spent too long in here suffering from the joy of watching your friend attempt to make out with three different girls at once," he growled, glaring at Brock with a look of disgust plastered on his bony head.

"No, allow me," said Misty grimly as Mewtwo began to glide over to where Brock was enthusiastically flirting with several girls at the same time. A loud WHACK permeated the Pokemon Center foyer as she beaned Brock over the head with her industrial-sized tack-hammer and proceeded to drag him by the ear over to where Ash was standing.

Once again, Ash sunk into a state of incomprehension and curiousness. "Uhh, can I ask a quick question, Mewtwo? How exactly are we supposed to get to Mt. Silver if there's no way to get there in Johto?" he inquired while scratching his head in confusion. Mewtwo smiled. "I have the ability to Teleport to anywhere I wish, as long as I know where that place is located," he explained rather proudly. "Would you like me to Teleport you, me, and your friends?"

Ash thought for a moment. "Mewtwo, how many people can you Teleport?" In the distance, a police siren became faintly audible, causing Ash to smile for the first time in what seemed like hours. "'Cause I got a plan."

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A/N: Not my favorite chapter to write. Please review.


	4. Infiltration

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 4: Infiltration

By: Crichton55

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A/N: Don't have much to say this time other than this fic has proven to be much more demanding of my time and concentration than I thought. Great reviews, people, thank you. Oh, and one more thing, please if you're just starting to read this fic from the start of "Whispers in the Dark", then PLEASE read my "In the Arms of an Angel" songfic first, if you haven't done so already. It will tie up many loose ends, seeing as it is the prologue. Anyways, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I know, I know, I forgot to add a disclaimer to my last few chapters…I don't own Pokemon, blah, blah, blah. How many times must fans say that?

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Looming ominously on the tree covered horizon stood the monumental Team Rocket fortress, adorned by a giant red "R" perched upon the roof. Ash hacked away at the tree branches that barred his advancement further into the forest outside Mount Silver with a steel machete, occasionally ducking to avoid the limbs that he deemed too petty to deserve the slash of his small sword. His muscles screamed in protest, for they had been hiking for what seemed like hours in the thick conglomeration of trees and foliage, but he knew that he must venture onward. He knew that the future of Johto depended on whether or not he could make it to the castle-like structure that towered in the distance, let alone defeat its occupants.

Misty groaned loudly for the fourth time that half-hour. "Ash! How much further?! Shouldn't we take a small break for once?" she whined, dropping her walking stick and sinking to her knees. Ash sighed and turned around to face Misty. "Either takes a break, Misty, or watch as the region that we've spent the last year in is overrun by Team Rocket. Your choice," he said flatly, but instead of continuing on, his gaze landed on the band of twenty police officers that he chose to take with them. Not a single one of them was within a fifty feet radius of Ash and Misty, nor were any of them standing.

Ash frowned. Accepting defeat, he sat upon the cold, hard dirt beside Misty and proceeded to retrieve a box of Goldfish crackers from his bag to nourish his now growling stomach. He stuck his entire fist into the box and pulled out an abnormally large handful of crackers and offered them to Misty, who took the gift graciously. They both sat there on the abysmally filthy ground, steamrollering through the large box as if they were dogs that hadn't seen the sight of a bag of dog food in days. Finally, when the two had exhausted the box's supply of delicious goodness, Misty spoke up.

"Ash, remember when we were back on Route 34, and how I kissed you? (Ash blushed deep crimson) It was because of a nightmare that I had, one that I never want to have again," she said softly, shuddering and grasping Ash's dirty hand that lay on the ground and looking him in the eye. "I think it means something Ash. Look at the side of the base. See how it's black and it looks like it's made of stone? That looks like what I saw in my dream, only it was on the inside of the building." Misty pointed to gargantuan Team Rocket's base that seemed to take up a quarter of their view of the horizon. "Misty, what happened in your dream?" Ash inquired in the same soft voice that Misty had exhibited.

Misty sighed heavily and, realizing that she had no choice but to confess the happenings of her dream, proceeded to flood Ash with information about her mid-night reverie. "Well, I'll put this as simply as I can. You were killed by Giovanni," she explained bluntly, dropping her gaze to the forest floor. Ash squeezed Misty's hand and brought her line of sight back up to his with his index finger. "Hey, it's going to be alright. I'm going to survive this, okay? We both are, Misty," he reassured her, despite being aware of his own uncertainty, an anxiety that he knew could be the onset of a very bad day. His hand began to quake in the soft grip of Misty's tender hand, a testament to the fear that was rapidly bottling up inside his mind.

He could sense that something bad was about to occur in the next few hours, and he couldn't shake the feeling that it was going to happen to him. The fact that Misty had had a nightmare in which he had been slaughtered by Team Rocket's leader created an even greater sense of uneasiness in his tired brain. He returned his gaze to the Team Rocket fortress and yawned, for he had put his strained body through a lot in the last six hours.

"Hey, Ash?" came the unusually gentle voice of Jessie from behind him that still never ceased to make him jump every time. Ash turned around to face Jessie, James, and Meowth, all three of whom retaining their ragged clothing that they continuously wore on a regular basis. He found it bizarre and awkward that he had chosen to bring them along with him despite their terrible deeds that they had committed over the course of his journey. "Yeah, what's up, guys?" he asked, slapping a smile onto his face, an action that normally would never have been done otherwise.

James was the first to speak. "We just wanted to say 'sorry' for all the trouble we caused you and your friends the last few years," he said gloomily, beginning to fiddle around with his hands as he plunged his stare to the ground. Ash smiled. "Hey, don't sweat it, guys. I see now that you weren't forced to do all that stuff to us. You were just avoiding the death penalty. That's forgivable in my book," he reasoned.

The trio grinned. Never before had they been pardoned for their crimes, especially by the victims themselves. They all breathed a mental sigh of relief, thankful that the long years of chasing the teens were finally over at last.

The trees behind them rustled, revealing one of the officers that had been left behind about sixty feet back. "Shall we continue on?" questioned Officer Jenny, eagerly glancing from Ash to Team Rocket's base off in the distance and back again. Ash turned around to face Jenny and nodded, ready to proceed with their long and grueling hike toward the black stone building towering above the far-off trees.

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Ash crouched behind a tangled mess of bushes and trees, surveying his surroundings and contemplating how to enter the colossal mega complex. Scanning the entire face of the structure with his binoculars his mother had given him long ago, he occasionally frowned and shook his head, ruling out several plans that came to mind. Finally, he gave up investigating a secure means of entry into the base and reluctantly returned to where he had told Misty, Brock, and the others to hide. Ducking under a low tree branch, he squatted down and sighed, his eyes fixated on the small crowd of people he had Mewtwo Teleport there with him.

"Okay, going in through the front door is suicide. We'll never get in that way. This place is swarming with Team Rocket soldiers, and that's not going to help us in getting that key," Ash informed them grimly, his tone of voice not reassuring to the rest of them. After hearing nothing save the chirping of birds meshing with the distant chatter of the soldiers, he spoke up again. "Alternatives anyone?"

No one said a thing for about half a minute, which forced Ash into a temporarily happy mood, for he could sense that everyone was in deep thought. Misty was the first to speak. "What I think we need is a diversion," she surmised. "Cool, but how exactly are we going to distract about a hundred trained Team Rocket soldiers at once, let alone get the key we need?" Ash questioned, raising his eyebrow and crossing his arms. Misty said nothing save a stifled grunt of displease.

The awkward silence that ensued, permeated only by the faint chatter of birds in the trees above them, blanketed the group once more. Nervousness began to set in on the small huddle of people as Ash glanced around from Brock (who was attempting to flirt with a Jenny) to Misty (who was twiddling her thumbs), as if to ask if anyone else had any brilliant plans. Finally, Mewtwo's telepathic voice broke the noisy silence.

"Ash, did you happen to see the guard with the key?" he asked kindly yet sternly. Ash's arms dropped to the ground, his eyebrow returning to its normal position. "Yeah, I did. He's standing on the left side of the front door with the key on his belt. The key didn't look like it would stay on the belt for long, though," Ash added. Mewtwo grinned maniacally. He stood up, turned around to face the super-complex, and raised his 3-fingered hands in the direction of the building. Eerily familiar purplish sparks began to form around a sphere that instantly grew to the size of a grapefruit, and Ash watched as the globelike object ejected from Mewtwo's hands and rocketed towards the right corner of the structure.

Ash stood up, observing silently the large militia as they curiously ran to the large chunk of black rock that now sat ten feet away from the hole from which it originated. He put on a perplexed yet angry expression and faced Mewtwo. "How's THAT going to help us?!" he demanded furiously, but the psychic Pokemon's gaze did not deter from the damage that he had caused.

"Watch closely. Blink and you'll miss it," Mewtwo responded quietly, his eyes glowing blue with extrasensory energy. Ash's gaze returned to the front door of the base. He pulled out his binoculars once more from his bag and pulled them up to his eyes. He could see the guard that possessed the key with crystal clarity, but the lookout no longer owned Ash's prize, for it had gotten dislodged from his key-ring and was now zooming towards them a foot above the ground.

A moment later the Pokemon trainer was in false ownership of the priceless means of entry into the castle-like structure. Ash stared at the key, marveling at its superior construction. He could see clearly that it was vastly important, for it was made of gold and had "Team Rocket" stamped on either side in white gold. The sound of Misty clearing her throat knocked him loose from his impressed reverie.

"Ladies first, I presume?" she giggled as she motioned towards the damaged building. Ash nodded and started to run in the direction of Misty's suggested direction, but stopped and turned around suddenly to see that Brock's attention remained in the Jenny's possession. "Hey, loverboy! Care to join us?" he called, amused yet greatly annoyed at his friend's habit of flirting.

Brock stood up reluctantly and walked over to them, clearly disappointed at the fact that the action that almost always got his ear tugged on was cut short. He didn't bother to acknowledge the fact that his friend had said anything. Ash then turned to Mewtwo and the Jennys. "Mewtwo, stay here with the officers. If we need you we'll…'think' of you" He put an emphasis on the word "think", a stress that the psychic Pokémon apparently understood, for he smiled and nodded in agreement. "Officers, do whatever you need to do to make sure no Rockets escape this place. Call in backup, I don't care," Ash ordered, grinning when a couple of the officers saluted.

"Okay, then. Let's roll!"

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Ash was starting to seriously regret entering through the front door of Team Rocket's base, for they were not alone in the long hallway that surrounded him and his friends. A very observant Rocket had unfortunately turned around as they ran in through the huge front entrance. About twenty armed soldiers were now in hot pursuit as they sprinted to a location undecided, another judgment error that he mentally punished himself for. Ash could not wrap his tormented mind around the fact that they were seen. Their plan was flawless! That tiny scrap of information thundered through his brain as he grasped Misty's hand as he ran, not bothering to look her in the eye as the doors on either side of them whizzed by.

Ash's ears were being tortured under the continuous bombardment of the alarm system that permeated the atmosphere around them. His eyes darted from door to uninteresting door, none of them seeming to yield some clue as to where the frequency machine was located. He forced his legs to carry him on further, knowing that one slip could be his last.

Doors everywhere suddenly burst open and ejected hundreds of Rockets, who proceeded to bar the trainers' way further into the base, guns drawn. Ash, Misty, and Brock screeched to a sudden halt. They glanced around to find themselves totally surrounded by black-dressed terrorists, armed with assault rifles.

"Got any more bright ideas, Einstein?" Brock snarled to Ash sarcastically, not bothering to look his friend in the eye as the Rockets began to close in around them. The trio of trainers desperately looked around for a weak spot in the soldiers' formation, but found none. Adrenaline was beginning to take effect.

A vise-like grip suddenly wrapped around Misty's forearm, causing her to scream. The Rocket cackled maniacally as he attempted to wrestle her to the ground, handcuffs in hand. Ash saw this and, without missing a beat, proceeded to whirl around and roundhouse kick the attacker in the back of the head. The grip that entangled Misty's arm loosened as the guy fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, unconscious.

Blood thundered to Ash's brain suddenly as a wicked fury plagued his mind. No one touches Misty like that and gets away with it. "ANYONE ELSE?!" His roar permeated the long hallway, causing a few of the soldiers to stop advancing. Their state of intimidation didn't last long, however. Without warning, as if to accept Ash's challenge, several men ran towards Ash at once with crazed looks in their eyes.

Now it was Ash's turn to be scared. "Oh, crap," he muttered under his breath. There came a huge amount of pain all over his body, a blow to the head, and darkness.

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A/N: Weird ending, I know. Review.


	5. First to Blame

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 5: First to Blame

By: Crichton55

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A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed all my other chapters and fics. All awesome reviews. Enjoy chapter 5!

Disclaimer: I swear! I don't own this (insert preferred adjective here)!!!!

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Ash's eyes shot open as his consciousness swiftly returned to him, flooding his vision with a tile ceiling lit by low amounts of artificial light. He closed his eyes in frustration and let out a stifled groan, wishing that it was all a dream, a very sick and twisted dream from which he knew he could not awake. "God help me…"

Misty's disgruntled grunt followed by her usual sharp voice suddenly pierced the dimly lit room as soon as the words had escaped Ash's lips. "What difference does it make if God helps you now, Ketchum?!" she snapped in apparent annoyance. Ash didn't bother to open his eyes. He merely lay there on the floor on which he had awakened, his mind still in suppressed disbelief that they had been overwhelmed that easily. "It doesn't make any difference, Misty. We're screwed anyway," he responded flatly.

Misty let loose a deep growling noise, but it was Brock's voice that permeated the room. "How can you be that negative, Ash? There are other options other that fighting Team Rocket single-handedly," he groaned, sounding as though he had his chin resting on the palms of his hands. Ash sighed and rose to his feet, striding over to where the sound of his friend's voice had originated, stopping when his face was within two feet from Brock's. Blood was now thundering through his brain, carrying with it a surge of sudden anger and hatred.

"Well now, why don't you tell that to the tens of thousands of people who will die in the meantime!" Ash shouted in Brock's face, taking advantage of his look of surprise at Ash's sudden invasion of personal space. Brock quickly regained his composure, lifting his head from his hands and laying them on his lap. "Is that really your concern? Or is it Misty and your precious Pokemon you wish to protect?" he quizzed calmly, afraid to break his eye contact with his friend for fear of losing the abrupt argument.

The antagonism that purged Ash's mind of all other extra thought began to recede slightly at the thought of Misty and his Pokemon. He dropped his gaze to the floor and sighed once more, granting more space between him and Brock. "That's family, Brock. Everything starts with family. I thought surely even you would know that by now."

Disappointed in his buddy's faith in him, Ash turned around and walked over to what was left of a wooden bench that Misty was sitting on. She appeared to have lost whatever interest she might have had in the heated argument that had released its hold on the two trainers, for she now eyed the floor with a blank expression plastered on her face. Ash sat down slowly beside his girlfriend, who made no action to acknowledge the fact that he had taken a seat beside her. He glanced around at the white room that surrounded them and came to the realization that it was a jail cell, complete with steel bars guarding against their escape through the only possible way out of the enclosed space. His attention soon returned to Misty after seeing that there were no windows in the small prison. The redhead continued to eye the floor.

Ash attempted to hold the hand that had apparently long since dropped to his love's side, an action to which she sighed and looked him in the eye. "Do you really love me that much, Ash? Are you really willing to risk your own life to save me?" she asked softly, lifting her gaze from the floor to the boy she loved so much, the man that had matured so much in the last day. Ash stared at her blankly, but it was Brock that spoke up first.

"Of course he loves you, Misty. He almost got us all killed back there just because he was too stubborn to realize that we were screwed when we entered this place!" Brock's voice intensified with each passing word he spoke, letting them ring out in the confined cell. The silence echoed throughout the room as Ash's temper returned, his momentary hatred of the Gym Leader clouding his mind of normal thought and reason. This guy was really starting to piss him off.

"Someone puts a gun to your head, Brock. What do you do? What do you do?" he inquired, letting the fury-laden words quickly spill over his lips in rapid succession. "You defend yourself," he added slowly before Brock had time to answer the hypothetical question. Ash got up and returned to his friend's side of the cell, face to face with his temporary enemy once more.

"Easy for you to say, Ash. No-one's got a gun pointed to your-" Brock began calmly, but was instantly cut off by Ash. "Oh, GOD, Brock! Everyone that has a shirt that's got a big red 'R' written on it has got a weapon pointed at my head!! You wanna know why? 'Cause my head's the winner-take-all prize because I did everything in my power to piss Team Rocket off one too many times. So, yeah, go ahead and blame me all you want! It still isn't helping us get out of this damn place!" Ash roared, his face crimson with pure anger and hatred.

"Am I to assume that _you _have any bright ideas of escape?" Misty snapped from across the room. Ash turned to face her, eyes blazing with fury. "You know what, Misty? I don't have any bright ideas of escape. I wish I did, but I don't…unless…" His eyes lost the ferocious gaze it had possessed, his face relinquishing its red tinge and returning to its normal tan color. "Unless what?" Misty questioned.

Ash did not answer immediately. Rather, he shut his eyes and began to attempt to block out all other conscious thought, focusing on his lost ditch effort of escape. _Mewtwo,_ _if you can hear me, help us. _He forced the thought through his tired, aching mind with increasing amounts of concentration, sweat beginning to drip down from his forehead. Ash waited for a few seconds, only to be greeted by nothing but the distant chatter of guards in deep conversation. He opened his eyes, grunting in frustration.

CRASH! The steel rod door barring their escape was ripped clean off its hinges and thrown from the doorway, landing twenty feet from where it started. Ash's eyes flew open at the sound of the disturbance that had caused Misty and Brock to fall to the floor in surprise. He eyed the smoking doorframe, the unmistakable shape of Mewtwo floating within a large purple barrier about two feet off the ground.

"Should've gone with your gut and entered through the _side _door, you fool," he growled impatiently, putting an emphasis on the word "side". Ash merely smiled despite the Pokémon's not-so-friendly welcome. "That's a hell of a greeting," he chuckled, wiping the large amount of sweat from his face. Mewtwo frowned. "Never mind that, Ash. You've got to get you and your friends out of here and fast!" The psychic Pokémon's voice was forceful yet full of anxiety, conscious of the imminent danger that he knew was sprinting towards the small jail cell with automatic weapons at the ready.

Ash shook his head and glanced around at his two friends that had gotten to their feet and walked over to him. He knew that his top priority was to destroy the machine that Mewtwo told him about. He was aware of the consequences of his possible failure, a likelihood that continued to haunt him. "No, Mewtwo. I know what I have to do," he protested quickly, unlatching one of his PokeBalls from his belt and enlarging it, looking back at the psychic Pokémon with his trademark determined stare and putting an arm around Misty's shoulders. "I have to save the ones I love."

Mewtwo stared at the young Pokémon trainer with a hard glare for a few seconds. Accepting defeat, he sighed deeply. "If you must, Ash, but you must be quick! The Rocket Grunts will shoot you on sight if you're not careful," Mewtwo advised, not averting his stare from Ash and the others.

A large purple barrier formed around Ash, Misty, and Brock and began to glow with extrasensory power. "I can supply you with a shield that will protect you for no more than ten minutes. You must get to the southwest wing of this building in that amount of time! That is where they keep the machine you must destroy." Mewtwo's hard and stern voice echoed throughout the small room as the sound of foot-soldiers stampeding towards them grew louder with each passing second.

Ash continued to beam at Mewtwo through the amethyst force-field, nodding his head to show his appreciation. "Thank you, Mewtwo. I owe you," he said to the distorted Pokémon that hovered before him. Mewtwo shook his bony head, his expression transforming into a soft and caring stare that momentarily purged Ash's mind of all worry and dread. "No, Ash. I owe you one. I wish I could help you more than this, though." Mewtwo gestured towards the purple shield that housed the three trainers.

Ash frowned, releasing Misty from his arm and sticking his hand out in front of him, palm-down without taking his eyes off the Pokémon. "We're all a team, Mewtwo. That means we stick together, no matter what." He motioned to his outstretched hand.

"No matter what," Misty agreed as she placed her hand on his and fixated a hard stare on Mewtwo. The warmth of Misty's palm on the back of Ash's hand flowed through him like water through a drainage pipe as he leaned over and gave her a peck on her crimson cheek. "Thank you, Misty."

Brock reluctantly positioned his own hand on top of Misty's, also giving Mewtwo a glare that clearly told him that the young Gym Leader did not wish to stay for long. Realizing that his wish to leave was now overridden, the psychic Pokémon frowned and sighed deeply, for he too did not crave spending his otherwise free time being in hostile territory where the likelihood of being shot at was inevitable. "Very well. But we must hurry! We've already wasted enough time running our collective mouths!" he half-complained while motioning towards the door that had been savagely torn from its stone frame.

Ash, Misty, and Brock began to apprehensively walk in the direction of what was left of the heavily damaged doorframe, the purple shield that housed them moving along with their stride. As Ash stepped over the aftermath of the small explosion that had ripped the door off, he turned his tired head in the direction of the thunderous roar that permeated the long hallway that lay before them, a sound that partially drowned out the wail of the security alarm that began to howl.

"Do you suppose this alarm has gone unnoticed?!" Misty roared.

Ash did not answer. Involuntarily grabbing hold of Misty's hand, his face transformed into an expression of pure horror upon sight of a sea of foot-soldiers that were running in their direction with no sign of slowing down. For a fraction of a second, he attempted to force his legs to begin moving in the opposite direction of certain death. Nothing happened. With an almighty wrench, he persuaded his legs to listen to his terrified brain. He turned and began to run in the opposite direction with Misty still firmly attached to Ash's arm and Brock in hot pursuit.

The three terror-saturated teens rounded the corner fifty yards down the hall, nothing save the decreasingly faint rattle of gunfire being overridden by a loud mental ringing noise that invaded Ash's ears. He could feel his adrenaline continue to spike furiously and time beginning to slow as he sprinted down the corridor in which he was certain he was going to die.

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A/N: Spooky and dark, isn't it? R&R.


	6. Though I Go Ten Thousand Miles

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 6: Though I Go Ten Thousand Miles

By: Crichton55

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A/N: I don't know why it's taken me so long to write this one freaking chapter, but the fact that I finally have it done makes me feel all happy inside. Spending fourteen hours in a van full of fellow Boy Scouts, who are all running on everything from Skittles to Monster Energy drinks, on the way to Colorado from southeast Kansas for a week-long summer camp? Yeah, that leaves me with a whole crapload of writing time, but not much concentration. I don't mean to spoil some little details, but I have to say that I had to do something really bad with the storyline that's tied in with "In the Arms of an Angel" in order for the whole thing to work. If I didn't, then that chapter (prologue, technically) would've been totally pointless. Please don't flame me when you read this! Thank you and have a nice day.

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Misty was unable to realize exactly how fast she was running, her mind clouded with nothing save the increasingly remote possibility of reaching their destination. She ran and ran and ran down into the bowels of the unending hallway lined with metal doors with her friends in hot pursuit. Ash struggled to keep up with her, his breath becoming more and more strained and hoarse with each sprinting step that pounded through his aching chest.

Increasing amounts of gunfire flew past their heads as the three trainers rocketed down hallways and blazed around corners, each with their own glint of hope that was rapidly deteriorating with every turn they made. With every step he took, Ash felt an increasingly heavy blanket of horror and despair plague him as though someone were attempting to strangle him with a thick bedspread.

There was a crack abnormally louder than the rest of the bangs that issued from the guns pursuing them, and Ash didn't need to be told why. One of the bullets had found its mark. There was a massive scream of pain and Brock slumped to his feet, clutching his now bloody leg.

"BROCK!" Ash screeched to a halt and attempted to run towards Brock, but Misty, taking notice of this diversion of attention, applied her own brakes and flung her arm out to Ash, grabbing him by the back of his shirt. "Ash! Leave him! He's not the one that matters now! Look, I don't like it either, but if we don't continue on, Team Rocket will never be stopped and thousands of innocent lives will be lost!" Ash quickly glanced from Brock to Misty and back again. He did not want to leave his friend there to die, but on the other hand, he did not wish to be blamed for the deaths of half the region's population if he was fortunate enough to survive. He looked directly into Brock's eyes with a mixture of dread and sorrow clearly written on his face. Brock nodded solemnly before diverting his gaze to his wounded leg, which was bleeding profusely.

Ash turned to resume his previous act of fleeing, but upon doing so he realized that he had hesitated for a fraction of a second too long. Team Rocket soldiers had caught up to the trio, wasting no time forming an impenetrable barrier of foot-soldiers around the three trainers, their weapons drawn. They did not possess the look of playing around as they made the circle tighter and tighter around Ash, Misty, and Brock. Ash knew that this time they meant business, somehow instinctively aware of the fact that the only reason that they did not open fire is due to them waiting for further instructions from an unknown source. He did not need to wait long.

"Hold your fire!" The dark and ominous voice rang out in the long hallway, though no-one required themselves to ask where the spooky voice had originated. Emerging from the darkness came a tall man dressed in a fine red suit, however instead of giving the usual long and drawn out stereotypical speech, he began to clap his abnormally large hands slowly. Misty buried herself into Ash's arms and began to shake uncontrollably, whimpering. She knew that this hallway looked too familiar. She had felt the back of her strained mind nag at her while she ran. This wasn't just coincidence. She had seen this before and knew exactly how it was going to play out.

The man continued to clap as he advanced into the circle of soldiers who appeared to be all too ready to begin firing their guns once more. Halting thirty feet from where Ash and Misty stood rooted to the spot, he ceased his slow applause and smiled devilishly as he took out an antique pocket-watch from his suit pocket, examining it. "It took you three thirty minutes to escape. With your reputation, Ketchum, I was expecting something a little more impressive." The man's false cheerfulness churned the gears of Ash's anger involuntarily as the man replaced the timekeeping device back into his suit pocket.

Producing a Pokeball seemingly from out of nowhere, the man threw it high into the air, and within seconds Ash and Misty were staring up into the face of a very big and very mean looking Rhydon. Assuming that this translated into the desire for a battle, Ash began to walk forward slowly, but it was then that he realized that Misty had ceased to shiver in his arms. She walked past Ash in an apparent attempt to accept the challenge that appeared to be directed towards him. Trying to reclaim the right to battle the unknown opponent, Ash put his arm around Misty, but before it had fully surrounded her she slapped it away harshly before diverting her attention back to the man.

Misty began to breathe very heavily, for the long run for their lives had left her with the feeling that all the air around her had ceased to exist. Pulling out a random PokeBall from her pocket and enlarging it, she slowly advanced to accept the man's challenge. "I do not wish to fight you, Giovanni," she wheezed, clutching her side to ease the enormous pain that the sprinting had caused. "I know that you will most likely win anyway and that you've got a 9mm handgun in your back pocket with Ash's name on it, so why bother fighting you?" she inquired grimly as she struggled to maintain control of her now trembling arm.

Brock squealed weakly and Ash gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough, both actions to which neither Misty nor Giovanni paid much attention. Giovanni continued to exhibit the same ominous smirk as he withdrew Rhydon back into its PokeBall. He did not say a word as he walked towards Ash, holding his hands up and turning them around to show he was holding nothing.

"You never cease to amaze me, Ash. You got through Viridian Forest in one day when it takes others over half a week. You saved the world from inevitable destruction on multiple occasions. You even battled the most powerful Pokemon in existence and survived. But once again you three have meddled with Team Rocket's plans one too many times, an annoyance that must be dealt with." Giovanni finished his monologue abruptly and coldly, turning around and walking about ten feet in the direction he came from. He pulled out from his back pocket the pistol whose existence Misty had predicted and aimed it at her chest.

Fare thee well  
My own true love  
Farewell for a while  
I'm going away  
But I'll be back  
Though I go 10,000 miles

Misty had no way of reacting fast enough to be able to push Ash out of the way in time as he hurled himself swiftly in between her and the leader of Team Rocket. The single shot that seemed to ripple the air around them was drowned out by Misty's scream of terror as Ash began to fall in slow motion. Time seemed to involuntarily slow to a creep. Blood pounded to her head as she watched every agonizing frame in horror as he slowly and rather brutally slammed into the ground.

10,000 miles  
My own true love  
10,000 miles or more  
The rocks may melt  
And the seas may burn  
If I should not return

Time seemed to speed up just as fast as it had slowed down, for the echoing sound of the bullet seemed to become immensely loud in conjunction with Misty's earsplitting shriek. No, this wasn't happening, not again. Ash had not been hit. All her senses must be betraying her.

Oh don't you see  
That lonesome dove  
Sitting on an ivy tree  
She's weeping for  
Her own true love  
As I shall weep for mine

"ASH!!!!" she howled, dropping to Ash's side and turning him over to face her. The bullet had hit the exact spot where it had hit in her dream, the blood coating the same area of his vest and making the same weird patterns that she didn't bother to take much notice of. He coughed rather violently, his face contorting with pain from the wound in his chest.

"M-Misty…I'm…sorry. You were right. I was going to die here. All of us are. I should've listened," moaned Ash, squirming on the cold floor. "No! Ash, don't you dare say that!" sobbed Misty, gripping both hands tightly around his right hand that had lain motionless at his side.

Ash brought Misty's hands up to his lips and kissed the back of her right hand, looking into her waterlogged eyes for what he knew was the last time. He could feel his breathing becoming more and more strained with every gulp of air he brought into his aching lungs. "We tried, Misty. That's all that matters at this point," he said flatly.

Misty sobbed even harder. "No, we c-can still d-do this! You c-can still b-beat them!" she wailed, clutching Ash's hands even tighter as though she were trying to stop him from being sucked into a tornado. Ash merely shook his head. "No, this wound won't heal. All we can do now is to-" He coughed yet again and droplets of blood flew from his mouth. "Misty, take this," he whispered softly, his gaze still glued to his love's eyes as he withdrew a slightly battered but well made pocket knife with a picture of a Pikachu splattered across the front and an engraving that read "I love you" on the back. He winced once again as he attempted to lightly shove it into Misty's hands that refused to separate from his own. She took it reluctantly and opened the knife to reveal a four inch long stainless steel blade that bore an engraving that clearly read in small letters, "You'll never be alone. When darkness comes you know I'm never far. Hear my Whispers in the Dark."

"A-Ash, p-please. D-don't die!" Misty howled, her breathing becoming increasingly heavy and irregular as she closed her shaking hands around the knife's handle. "We all die," said Ash grimly. He gave another raspy and bloody cough, but still Misty didn't seem to bother to take any notice of the blood droplets that splattered against her face.

Ash's field of vision began to swirl and he felt his energy slowly draining away. He knew that he had only seconds until he had one last breath remaining. He began to softly hum a tune that was eerily familiar to Misty, yet she didn't know what it was.

"Oh, come ye back." Ash had started to quietly sing the song he had heard countless times before. His voice was raspy, far from the loud deep singing he had produced at the Goldenrod City Pokemon Center, but Misty didn't care. Her chest heaved harder than ever, her eyes swimming with tears.

"My own true love  
And stay a while with me  
If I had a friend  
All on this earth  
You've been a friend to me"

Ash struggled to keep his head up slightly, but he knew that the last bit of precious energy he had possessed had betrayed him. "I..love...you...Mis...ty..." he breathed. His head fell backwards, his arms went limp, and his body was still.

Misty continued to stare down upon Ash's broken and lifeless body. The overwhelming and unbelievable reality that he could no longer see her face through his blank stare steamrollered throughout her brain. Her mind felt as though it had shut down, her breathing becoming more erratic.

A low and evil chuckle rumbled through the hallway. Giovanni began to advance towards Misty, his gun at his side. Misty raised her head in time to see the Italian shoes stop in front of her, the shininess reflecting the dull light of the long hallway. She stared at the shoes, eying a small patch that embroidered the only side that was visible from her angle. The design was simple, but something told her that there was more to it than a red PokeBall with the initials "D.C." taking up the upper half. She did not know what it meant or who it could be referring to. Misty's eyes involuntarily drifted down again to Ash's lifeless body that lay before her.

The effect was instantaneous. She had never experienced such an immensely intense wave of fury and hatred as she gazed into Ash's blank and lifeless stare. Misty no longer knew who or where she was. All conscious thought had been unceremoniously expelled from her mind, leaving behind the only objective that her infinite antagonism would allow. She instantly wanted nothing less than to brutally murder the man who had taken her love away from her, to slash apart every last pulsating vein in his miserable and pathetic body. She wanted to kill every last Rocket that stood in her way; she did not care if they had AK-47s. Misty looked back up to Giovanni's emotionless face, a flash of crimson darting across her eyes. "You are dead, girl."

Misty moved faster than Giovanni could ever have anticipated. His gun had barely even begun to move upward when she launched herself up with tremendous force that thrust her towards Giovanni's face. There was a white flash of shiny steel followed by a splatter of blood that accompanied an ear-shattering scream of pain.

Misty landed skillfully at Giovanni's feet and looked up to assess the damage she had inflicted, Ash's engraved knife held tightly in her hand. He was no longer sporting a look of triumph and hatred. His face had contorted into a conglomeration of surprise and pain. He involuntarily dropped the gun at Misty's feet and clutched his neck that had mercilessly and brutally been slashed open and was now bleeding uncontrollably.

The air exploded. The Rockets, who were in the process of raising their AK-47s, were unceremoniously blown backwards, away from a purple barrier that engulfed Misty, a fatally wounded Giovanni, and the bodies of Ash and Brock. As the smoke rapidly cleared from the spontaneous explosion, Misty saw the floating outline of Mewtwo, his face sporting an angry expression as he phased through the purple barrier he had conjured.

"How many times do I have to come in here and bail you out of-" Mewtwo started angrily, but he trailed off abruptly as his eyes fell on Ash's broken body that lay at Misty's feet. The purple force-field disappeared instantly. She sensed his gaze on him, for she turned back to Giovanni, who had fallen to his knees but was still squeezing his bloody neck. She began to viciously stab him repeatedly in every spot that she could possibly reach and did not stop when he had completely fallen to the floor and became motionless. She screamed as she ripped and slashed apart what was left of his body, unable to control the raging fury and mental pain that mercilessly tore through her mind.

Mewtwo found his voice, though he could not hide his own grief through his telepathic roar. "Misty, stop! That's enough, he's already dead!" His eyes glowed blue as he telekinetically froze Misty's blood-drenched hand, but her crazed expression and heavy breathing remained. He drifted in front of her and stood on the cold, hard floor, no longer suspended in mid-air in an aura of extrasensory energy. He raised Misty's head up to face his own, not with telekinesis, but with his three-fingered hand that quaked slightly.

Misty's face was soaked with tears. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, the meandering rivers of tears cascading down her cheeks like a river snaking its way down a high mountain. Her breathing continued to be heavy and erratic, her arms shaking violently. "W-why d-did A-Ash d-do that?" she sobbed. Mewtwo could tell that this childish-sounding question was all Misty had the capability to say, for she sobbed harder than ever.

The psychic Pokemon gazed into her bloodshot eyes, and it somehow reminded him of himself, how he knew he could never comprehend the emotional torture that Giovanni had caused the redheaded girl and how he longed to fully understand the immense love that he saw between the two trainers. He knew he was merely a science experiment that was designed to fight, not love, but he couldn't help but feel a slight bond with Misty. He didn't know what it was, but he knew rather instinctively it wasn't the bond that she and Ash had shared. "Because he loved you more than anything, Misty," he croaked. "He was willing to sacrifice anything for you, including his own life."

Misty reached up to feel Mewtwo's bony cheek, but it was at that moment that the psychic Pokemon knew instinctively that something was not right. His adrenaline spiked as he held up his hand to stop her. "Wait. Something's wrong." His voice was stern but Misty sensed a bit of fear in his telepathic speech as he looked up and stared down the long hallway. "Mewtwo? What's up?" asked Misty. Mewtwo did not answer.

His eyes instantly turned blood red with what Misty could only guess to be negative psychic energy. Mewtwo knew what was happening; he knew he had to protect Misty from himself. "M-Mis-ty! R-Run! F-Find the ma-chine! DE-STROY IT!" He struggled fruitlessly against the Serum he knew was reacting with the frequency he could not fight. He felt himself losing control of his own brain, felt the intense inability to resist plaguing his mind. He used what little control he had left to attempt to push Misty away, but too late. The last of his ability to resist betrayed him, and he was no longer able to recognize Misty, who began to back away with a terrified look on her face.

Mewtwo stared at her menacingly for a few seconds before turning to face what was left of Giovanni's body. A red aura began glowing around him, followed by the hallway lights dimming slightly. Misty watched in amazement and horror as the wounds that she had made all over Giovanni's body began to heal rapidly, the severed scraps of shredded flesh fusing together. She involuntarily continued to watch until the gashes closed completely, a red aura flashed around his body. Giovanni opened his eyes.

Misty opened her mouth to scream, but her surprise and disbelief was plugged by a hand that abruptly covered her mouth followed by the barely audible sound of Ash's voice whispering in her ear. "Shhh. Misty, c'mon. Let's get outta here."

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A/N: I don't know why it took so long for this chapter, but I think that this one is by far the most thrilling and epic, not to mention dark and violent. I apologize for_** temporarily**_ killing off Ash and Brock, but, with the exception of Brock, I felt that if I didn't it would have made "In the Arms of an Angel" a complete and utter waste of my precious time and energy to write. Kudos to the people who correctly guessed that "I.T.A.O.A.A." was a premonition chapter designed purely to create a sense of fascination and an intense urge to read on. Please review.


	7. Pieces of the Puzzle

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 7: Pieces of the Puzzle

By: Crichton55

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A/N: Sorry about the wait. Lot of crap going on lately and it doesn't seem too keen on the idea of giving me a lot of writing time. All complications aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter. (Just a little heads-up, it might be awhile until the next chapter is up. It may not. I don't know. I was a little hesitant to post this without the next one already written, but I guess I might as well post it now.)

Disclaimer: Ok, if in some wild and unattainable fantasy I DID own Pokemon, I would also own an entire fleet of Alienware laptops and several hundred 128GB flash drives, but I'm pretty sure that everyone knows by now that that's not the case. Say it with me: I….do….not….own….Pokemon. Very good. Here, have a cookie.

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Misty opened her mouth to scream, but her surprise and disbelief was plugged by a hand that abruptly covered her mouth followed by the barely audible sound of Ash whispering in her ear. "Shhh. Misty, c'mon. Let's get outta here."

Her mind felt like it had completely shut down. Ash was dead. She had seen him die right in front of her, and now he was tugging her away from Giovanni and Mewtwo. She involuntarily hesitated for a fraction of a second, but Ash pulled her harder. Misty turned to run.

None of this made any sense to her at all. She was sure she was hallucinating, but Ash pulled her further, every few seconds glancing nervously over his shoulder. He stopped suddenly and faced Misty.

Ash kissed her with sudden force, but before Misty had time to react, he pulled away, plastering a look of nervousness mixed with relief onto his face. "We don't have a lot of time, Misty. We gotta find that machine, but it looks like we gotta do it alone. I don't think Mewtwo's too keen on helping us at this point," said Ash rather quietly, looking over Misty's shoulder at Mewtwo, who hovered in midair about a hundred feet down the hall, looking down at a revived Giovanni.

Misty finally found her voice. "H-How are you-?" She didn't appear to be able to finish her sentence. Ash glanced back at her. "I dunno, but we'll answer that later," he said. More questions seemed to explode into Misty's mind faster that she could find answers for them. She felt dizzy as the mental chaos and anarchy pumped through her brain. Ash pulled again and the two started to run once more.

Hurried footsteps seemed to have caught up with them, and for a split-second Misty feared another swarm of Rockets. She turned her head to see Brock running at her side, a look of horror plaguing his pale face. His breathing was slightly heavy.

Before Misty had much of a chance to respond to the sudden appearance of someone whom she had seen with her own eyes sustain a fatal gunshot wound, a large ball of crackling energy flew past their heads and collided with a series of doors fifty feet down the hall. An immense explosion rippled through the corridor Ash looked over his shoulder, but retracted it quickly with a look of horror, an action which Misty needed no explanation. Another purple ball of psychic energy steamrollered so close to Ash's head that he missed death by mere millimeters.

All conscious thought that had been driven out of her mind, only to be replaced by a drunk-like state of shock, gushed back to her almost instantaneous. Misty's brain seemed to have switched into auto-pilot as she grabbed the collar of a stumbling Ash and grasped the arm of Brock and began to sprint around the corner they had previously navigated. Turning left again on another hallway thirty feet away, she peered down the corridor, only to be greeted by what seemed like hundreds of closed doors, each as plain and unyielding as the next.

The trio continued to run, Giovanni and a brainwashed Mewtwo in hot pursuit. Ball after ball of psychic destruction flew past them, each one creating a blinding cloud of dust and fragments of wall that scratched at their faces. Ducking long enough to avoid a baseball-sized chunk of drywall, Misty tugged harder at the fabric in one hand and Brock's sweaty arm in the other.

Yet another volley of dark energy was flung past them, and the trio heard Giovanni's roaring voice. "NO! DON'T LET THEM GET IN THE CONTROL ROOM!" Something in his tone made Misty's thoughts intensify. Control room, she thought as a door on their left burst apart.

The room was packed with machines and computers that either stacked thirty feet high, or lay disassembled in random piles of metal that dotted the tile floor. Large wires stretched across the floor, joining several computers with ten others in every combination imaginable before leading back to a large central unit that marked the center of the giant room. Ash, Misty, and Brock stood transfixed at the technology that surrounded them, their legs unable to take them any deeper into the huge room.

The center computer, which took up space equal to the size of three bathtubs, was the most intricate. The dense mass of countless wires and ribbon cables that snaked their way around the behemoth machine oddly resembled a gargantuan mass of artificial hair that had grown out of control. In some areas the tangled mess of electronic foliage was so thick that it was impossible to tell what was behind it.

Ash looked up at a large pillar that stood close to the hairy computer. Seemingly thousands of wires and cables wound their way to the bottom of the column, which rose to the ceiling. He did not know what it was for, but he knew instinctively that it had something to do with what was controlling Mewtwo.

Next to the center console stood a tall man with thick, dark-rimmed glasses. His head was adorned with a thick metal helmet with what looked to be a wig of small but numerous red and blue wires that flowed down to the floor and back up into the machine. The Rocket, who was dressed in a black uniform that sported a large red "R", looked over his spectacles at Ash, Misty, and Brock with an evil smirk plastered across his face.

"Impressive, ain't it?" boomed a voice behind them. Wheeling around, the trainers found themselves ten feet away from Giovanni and Mewtwo, who hovered at his side, eyes glowing blood red. "Ten years, fifteen robbed banks, thirteen million dollars, and enough electricity to power three planets. How did I do it? Let's just say there are some people worth doing anything for." His voice remained hard and sinister, yet there was a small, almost undetectable tone of sadness in his speech that began to involuntarily turn the gears in Misty's brain.

_Wait_, she thought. _This doesn't feel right. He sounded like Ash isn't the only one he's after. Why would he build all this and send Jessie, James, and Meowth after us just to kill Ash? There are plenty more trainers out there that are better than him._ Misty's thoughts blazed across her mind, searching for an answer.

The scene changed. She was on the floor, the cloudlike body of Ash billowing in her arms. She knew that this wasn't reality, that she was still standing in the control room. Misty didn't know what exactly this familiar world was. She tried to grasp Ash's rippling, lifeless hand, but her hand passed right through it, slowly coming to the realization that this world was her memories.

She looked up to see Giovanni's Italian shoes stop in front of her, the wispy ghost of the man's legs seeming to flow as if caught by a small breeze. Misty saw the patch that decorated one of the shoes. She recognized the small Pokeball and the initials that decorated the top half. D.C. What could it mean?

The shoes disappeared, the cloudy panorama dissolving into what looked like a formless mass of vapor, which reformed into the white landscape of a room she had ventured into only once. Pictures of Ash and his mother dotted a tall dresser next to a nicely made bed. Her gaze drifted from the dresser to the sheets to the rest of the room. Misty saw that Delia Ketchum's bedroom was as elegantly cared for as her garden. The curtains, though they did not move, gave the illusion that they were flowing as though they had been pushed by a small breeze. The walls, though void of wallpaper, were plagued by an array of photos similar to those that sat dormant upon the dresser.

Misty had never been in this room before this moment, nor had she ever been in it since, yet the memory had been too strong to forget. Everything seemed so…perfect. She turned her attention back to the photos on the dresser.

Glancing over each one, she saw the various time periods of Ash's life. Some photos depicted him as a small toddler zooming around in a hard plastic tricycle, while others showed him at a mixture of points during his Pokemon journey. Misty mentally giggled to herself, noting one picture showing Ash with his arm around her shoulder and sporting a very cheesy and very goofy grin. _Cute_, she thought to herself.

She turned to leave, but something stuffed slightly behind the photos caught her eye. Knowing that any attempt to push them aside would be fruitless, she adjusted her angle and examined a small patch, scarcely larger than a postage stamp. The item design was fairly simple, as it showed little more than an Earth Badge that stood behind another set of initials. G.R.

Shrugging it off, Misty began to walk away, but the sight of another patch half buried underneath the first one seized her attention once more. Though this one appeared to be a little more intact than the one it lay under and the one she knew to exist on the side of Giovanni's shoe, it didn't take long for her to recognize it; the initials that sat on an image of a PokeBall warranted no further curiosity. D.C.

The thought exploded through her mind with the force of a bomb. _No, _she thought. It couldn't be. It didn't fit. None of the facts seemed to suggest it, yet she couldn't help but feel it was right. It was like she had just been granted the last piece to a large jigsaw puzzle but didn't want to believe it was the right piece.

Reality flooded her vision once more. The sounds of the countless machines buzzed relentlessly in her ears. Her thoughts were out of control, ravaging her brain like wildfire. Misty leaned over to Ash and whispered in his ear. "Ash, Is 'Ketchum' your mother's maiden name?"

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A/N: Sorry for posting late again. A trip to Florida and college starting up isn't doing me many favors. I hope you're enjoying the turn of events here. I hope to finish the next chapter sooner than the others, I don't want to end the chapter in a cliffhanger so large, but I think I have to. Keep reviewing. Bye.


	8. Thunder of God

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 8: Thunder of God

By: Crichton55

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Disclaimer: Aww, no author's note? Damn, there's only this needless disclaimer saying rather annoyingly "Crichton55 does not own Pokemon!"

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Reality flooded her vision once more. The sounds of the countless machines buzzed relentlessly in her ears. Her thoughts were out of control, ravaging her brain like wildfire. Misty leaned over to Ash and whispered in his ear. "Ash, Is 'Ketchum' your mother's maiden name?"

Ash was caught off guard by her inquiry, but restrained himself from making a sudden movement that would likely draw Giovanni's attention. "No, it's not," he breathed. "She married when I was four. I think I overheard her once talking to a friend about a guy she almost married around fifteen years ago, but she got pregnant with me and left him. I'm not sure what her maiden name is. I wanna say it's 'Clearwater,' but I'm not positive. Why?"

Misty's mind exploded. She couldn't believe it. No, she didn't _want_ to believe it. All the evidence had to be lying to her. The initials D.C. couldn't possibly stand for "Delia Clearwater." The more she tried to convince herself otherwise, however, the more she began to realize that there was no other explanation. She couldn't think of anyone else that fit the initials.

Her mind continued to skim through the information for the umpteenth time, Ash's curiosity regarding her random question forgotten. _Ash just had his fourteenth birthday around three months ago_, she thought to herself. _So Delia must have gotten pregnant with him roughly fifteen years ago. The guy she left must've been Ash's biological father. The initials on the patches I saw on her dresser a few years ago at Ash's house had to have been the two's initials, and each had gotten a copy of the two patches. One of them had _D.C._ and the other had _G.R_. Giovanni had been the Viridian City Gym Leader, which would explain the Earth Badge and the letter "G" as the first initial. That could only mean one thing. Giovanni is Ash's real father._

Misty shuddered as the thought tore through her brain with the momentum of a dump truck, but she knew she didn't have much time to reassess the possibility. She leaned over to Brock, nudging him in the side to attain his attention. "Ow, what?" he moaned quietly. "Brock, be ready to use Onix." Brock grunted in understanding, though he failed to understand how it could make any difference. "How the hell is that gonna help us," he whispered back. "The most that's going to do is just piss him off more!"

Giovanni turned his attention to the Rocket controlling the computer behind Ash, Misty, and Brock. "Dr. Raymond! How's our little lab rat doing?" he inquired from across the room with a slight chuckle that sent a shiver down the trio's spines. The Rocket technician, busy with the computer, looked up from his machinery. "He's showing some resistance, sir, but nothing Ol' Bessie here can't handle," he replied calmly, patting the tangled mess of wires rather affectionately.

Brock noticed the strong Southern accent the Rocket possessed. He didn't come from a very southern-oriented background as much as others, but all the new trainers that had wandered into his Gym over the years made the accent extremely difficult, if not impossible, to rid his mind of. He had eventually learned how to mimic it, though due to all the various trainers that had pounded it into his head during his leadership of the Pewter City Gym, he had grown to hate it.

Giovanni's booming voice jerked Brock out of his thoughts. "Very good! Bring him up to maximum power output," he ordered. The Rocket, who had been typing so fast that his fingers were blurs, gave Giovanni a skeptical look, his hands no longer flying across the keyboard. "But sir, wouldn't that overload the frequency generator?"

Giovanni's lips curled into a slight smirk. "Oh, this'll be all over before that happens. Do it, now!" He nodded his head at the Rocket, who pushed a lever up as far as it could go.

The lights dimmed slightly. If there was any slight aura that had surrounded Mewtwo, whatever the Rocket did had intensified its glow. The Pokémon hovered beside Team Rocket's leader, bathed in a cocoon of red energy. His eyes shone blood red.

"Mewtwo," said Giovanni ominously. Mewtwo's expression did not change, nor did his gave divert from the trainers before him. "Make sure they never bother us again. Shadow Ball attack, now!"

They were defenseless, completely unprotected against Mewtwo's destructive attacks. Ash, Misty, and Brock watched in terror as a dark ball of crackling energy swelled in the psychic Pokémon's hands. Ash wrapped his arms tightly around Misty, knowing that a hit from one of the attacks would have devastating results. As though he were throwing a baseball, Mewtwo chucked the Shadow Ball at the trio.

There was no possible way Ash could have expected it. Seemingly from nowhere, a large bolt of electricity slammed into the psychic attack, knocking it off course and forcing it to crash into a wall. Ash spun around, looking in the direction the electric attack had originated.

He felt like he had just been hit by a bus. The sensation that felt like his stomach had just gotten shocked spread throughout his body as he stared at Pikachu, who stood on all fours, glaring at Mewtwo as electricity crackled around his cheeks.

Ash stood rooted to the spot, confusion rippling through him. This didn't make sense. He had deposited Pikachu into his PC Box to keep him safe before he had Mewtwo Teleport them all to Mt. Silver. How did he get out, or better yet, how did he get to Mt. Silver?

Something in the doorway moved slightly, drawing his attention. He saw the dark outline of Jessie, James, and Meowth shift in the shadows, and immediately he understood. The trio knew that Pikachu was one of his strongest Pokémon. They must've seen him deposit Pikachu in the Goldenrod City Pokémon Center, and withdrawn him at the one he remembered seeing a few miles away from the mountain. The logic made perfect sense, for he was sure that the Center was close enough to have a few Rockets working there instead of the trademark Nurse Joy. The trio's Team Rocket uniforms would have been the perfect cover for them to walk over to the computer and hack into his Pokemon Storage account. Nodding with agreement, an action which the former thieves appeared to understand before vanishing into the darkness, Ash returned his attention to Pikachu, who was growling loudly.

A slow and ominous, yet familiar, clapping noise echoed through the large room. Giovanni's smirk intensified as he addressed the small electric rodent. "Well done, Pikachu, well done. Your power is impressive, exactly what I value in a strong Pokemon. You would be a very valuable asset to Team Rocket," he praised in a fake compassionate voice that caused a surge of anger to erupt in Ash's mind.

Pikachu's growl increased in volume and the electricity that flowed from his cheeks jumped erratically around his yellow body. "_I don't buy that!" _he roared in his own Pokemon language. _"You can never turn me away from Ash!"_ Ash felt a rush of affection as he watched Pikachu's stance become even tenser.

"Don't be so naïve, Pikachu," said Giovanni in the same soft voice that continued to disgust Ash. "You are a strong Pokemon, yes. Your loyalty is immeasurable and unwavering. Your power is difficult to overcome, but I can help you become powerful enough to defeat any opponent. I can make you so strong that the planet itself will quake in fear! You would be able to destroy a thousand armies with a single bolt of lightning! Mewtwo here would be no match for you!"

Ash noticed that Pikachu's stance was deteriorating, the crackling energy around his body dissolving. He knew that his buddy was losing his sense of reason, and if he didn't do something in the next few seconds, he would lose Pikachu. He glanced at Misty, who, despite her horrified expression, nodded in silent agreement.

"Pikachu!" Ash and Misty's combined shouts echoed around the room, grabbing the electric rodent's attention. "Don't listen to him, Pikachu," Ash yelled. "He can never train you to be like that! You're already stronger than he could ever hope to make you! Don't give in to him!" He looked over to Misty, who took his hand momentarily and gave it a slight squeeze. "We all believe in you, Pikachu!" she shouted.

Pikachu seemed to have been wrenched from his hypnotized state, for he shook his head and growled once more, the electricity once again engulfing his body. _"You bastard, Giovanni! I will never become your little chess piece!" _

Giovanni chuckled slightly. "Very well," he said calmly. "Mewtwo, give him a little appetizer of what power he can possess if he joins Team Rocket!" Mewtwo's eyes glowed blood red, the aura that surrounded him flickering like fire. Pikachu strengthened his stance, bracing for another Shadow Ball attack.

But none came. An explosion of immense pain erupted within Pikachu, spreading through his body like a tidal wave. He no longer knew where he was; he only knew the burning pain that plagued him. He began to lose control of his limbs, for they began to twitch and jerk uncontrollably.

As quickly as it had come, the pain vanished, and he became aware that he had been screaming. He got up and resumed his battle-ready posture, ignoring Ash's scream of terror. _"Ha! Is that the best you got, Mewtwo!" _he taunted, a spontaneous wave of energy flowing through him.

Misty glanced at Brock, who nodded. He raised his arm to throw the PokeBall that contained Onix, but Pikachu's shrill screech made him stop. _"Brock, no! Using him won't do anything! Let me handle this!"_ Frowning solemnly, Brock returned the PokeBall to his pocket.

Mewtwo's expression did not change as he launched a Shadow Ball at Pikachu, an attack which the mouse dodged without much effort. _"What the hell're you shootin' at?"_ he laughed maniacally.

Mewtwo attacked once more, the dark purple energy sphere missing Pikachu, who jumped again, by mere millimeters. _"Oh, you can't hit nothin'!"_

As soon as Pikachu had started to fall from dodging the Shadow Ball attack he realized his mistake. A third attack slammed into him with sickening force, which sent him spiraling out of control. He collided with the wall and fell to the floor, landing in a crumpled heap.

"PIKACHU!" Ash ran over to his friend, but Pikachu spoke up. _"NO! Don't try to help me, Ash! Get yourselves out of here while you still can! I'll take care of this!"_

Ash stopped, shaking his head furiously. "No, I won't! I'm not leaving you!" he shouted. Pikachu got to his feet and shook the dust off his fur. _"Dammit, Ash, stop trying to be the hero! Leave now, before it's too late!" _Pikachu began to growl once more.

Ash ground his teeth in suppressed anger. "No, I refuse to leave you here, Pikachu!" he boomed. "If there's anything you've taught me it's that you never abandon your friends!" _He's right,_ Pikachu thought.

He averted his attention to Mewtwo. _"Fine! Do what you want! Just get out of the way. This could get pretty ugly!"_ Ash obediently returned to Misty's side as Pikachu marched forward toward Mewtwo. All my training has prepared me for this moment, he thought.

_"Sorry, Mewtwo. 'Filleted Mouse' has been removed from the menu…"_

Pikachu jumped swiftly to avoid another volley of Shadow Balls, but the curse of fatigue and the pain of being tossed around like a rag doll was too much for the small electric rodent. One of the basketball-sized spheres of psychic energy slammed full force into his face, sending him spiraling across the control room. He crashed into the wall with a sickening thud.

The small Pokemon ignored his trainer's scream and rose slowly to his feet and shakily walked to the middle of the room. The pain of the numerous cuts, scrapes, and bruises was excruciating, but Pikachu forced himself to ignore it. He knew he had to keep Mewtwo, who glared at him with glowing red eyes, from attacking Ash, Misty, and Brock for as long as he could. He knew that he did not have the ability to withstand another Shadow Ball attack; he had to act now while he still could.

A final option fluttered across his mind, but he mentally cringed at the idea. He did not want to use it. He didn't even want to try. Pikachu had always known that the attack was legend amongst electric Pokemon, that no Pokemon in living memory had been able to reproduce the attack that had destroyed half a city centuries ago. No-one knew how the old Pikachu had done it. Stories told of him being on the verge of death, and of a hundred foot wide pillar of light wiping out anything within a half-mile radius. They never found the old Pokemon after that night. Some Pokemon believed that he sacrificed his life to defeat the gargantuan Dragonite, while others say he scampered off and died a natural death in the forest a few days later. Regardless of what became of the old mouse, Pikachu knew that the body of the Dragonite continued to lie were it fell for months.

Pikachu wobbled as he stopped in the center of the room. He turned to face Ash, who stood twenty feet away with a horrified expression plaguing his face. He nodded his yellow head grimly before directing his attention to Mewtwo. _Legend or not, I have to try. I must protect Ash. _The thought steamrollered through his weak mind as he breathed what he was sure to be his last breath.

The lights in the control room dimmed. Pikachu's eyes began to glow brightly as a white aura surrounded his beaten body. He began to rise into the air, his arms outstretched. He opened his mouth, a low yet loud rushing sound rippling through the large room. Everyone was unable to move, eyes transfixed on the small electric rodent.

There was a colossal explosion. Ash, Misty, and Brock were blown backwards as a gigantic pillar of crackling light crashed through the ceiling as though it were nothing, encasing a glowing Pikachu in a bath of radiant electricity. The cylinder of light grew in brightness exponentially, ejecting huge bolts of lightning in every direction.

Ash had never seen this kind of power before. He had never seen Pikachu being capable of producing anywhere near this kind of energy. He watched in awe and horror, mouth wide open, as the intensifying bolts of electricity blew apart any computer or piece of machinery that was unfortunate enough to be in their way.

Pikachu let out the loudest bloodcurdling screech Ash had ever heard him made. Another loud blast rent the air, and as though it were being channeled through a large pipe the pillar of electricity changed direction. The immense bolt of lightning crashed into Mewtwo with the force of a bomb. The psychic Pokemon screamed in pain as the energy steamrollered through his body.

But it seemed Pikachu had suddenly lost control of the force he was dictating. The crackling bolts spiked in intensity, the cylinder of energy beginning to move in an erratic pattern, destroying anything that got caught in its wake. The countless computers that decorated the room were quickly and unceremoniously blown apart.

The beam of light passed across the central computer, and the horrified Rocket, still tethered to the unending rope of wires, screamed in immense pain. The computer exploded violently, sending twisted scraps of metal and wiring careening through the air.

As quickly as the pandemonium had started, it came to a screeching halt. The pillar vanished and Pikachu fell to the floor with a sickening thud. "PIKACHU!" Ash's scream of terror echoed off the ruined walls as he ran to Pikachu's side.

The small electric rodent lay motionless in front of him. The vast majority of his yellow fur had assumed a dark tinge of black. His whole body was smoking slightly and giving off an odor similar to that of burnt dryer lint. His eyes were glued shut.

A small tear formed in Ash's eye and fell to the floor. No, he thought numbly. Pikachu can't be…but he could not allow the thought to formulate in his mind. He reached out his hand to run it through the blackened fur and retracted it quickly. Pikachu's body was hot to the touch.

Movement out of the corner of Ash's eye gripped his attention. Turning his head, he saw Mewtwo floating towards him, surrounded in a rippling blue aura.

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A/N: I hope you liked this chapter, as it was more fun than usual to write. I hope I wasn't too hard on asking for reviews last chapter. Please review, even if you have anything bad to say about this fic. Tell me something I'm screwing up or doing wrong, I don't care. Keep telling me, because it wouldn't be near as much fun to write this without being critiqued. Oh, and before I forget…The idea with Ash being recovered by Mewtwo wasn't originally my idea, I must confess. I can't remember the fic name or the author or where I read it, but it was their idea; I just tweaked it. I give them full credit for it. Bye bye!


	9. Secrets of a Failed Plan

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 9: Secrets of a Failed Plan

By: Crichton55

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Disclaimer: Why do I even need to waste the rest of my netbook's battery life on this needless way to say, "Ah, hell no. I don't own Pokemon!" Pointless....

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Movement out of the corner of Ash's eye gripped his attention. Turning his head, he saw Mewtwo floating towards him, surrounded in a rippling blue aura.

A mixture of fear and hatred spread throughout Ash like cancer as Mewtwo's eyes began to glow bright blue.

He moved himself in front of Pikachu limp body, guarding him. "Get back, Mewtwo!" Ash's yell was hoarse, his throat screaming in protest. "Stay away from him! I won't let you hurt him anymore!" Mewtwo did not answer. Ash had not expected him to, but instead of speaking, the Pokemon continued to advance. He raised his bony, three-fingered hand and telekinetically tossed Ash aside.

Ash slid until he slammed into the wall. Getting up, he saw Mewtwo surrounding Pikachu in a bright blue aura, a psychic cloud that lingered for a few seconds before it swiftly vanished. Pikachu twitched his long ears, slowly attempting to rise to his feet.

Ash froze in paralytic shock. His thoughts screeched to a halt as he watched the electric mouse shook his fur like a dog. _But how? _Ash thought numbly. _Pikachu killed himself with his own-_

A low voice permeated the thick air. "Pikachu didn't die, Ash. He was merely knocked unconscious." Mewtwo was looking at him intently, the bright blue glow fading from his eyes, and at once Ash understood. _The machine must have been destroyed by Pikachu's attack._

He turned to look at the frequency generator, but the tangled conglomeration of electronic foliage now resembled a melted and charred lump that gave off an extremely strong odor. The metal that had encased the unending circuitry appeared to have been twisted and contorted into a half-melted mass of steel that assumed no definite shape.

Ash turned back to face Mewtwo, but his attention was seized by a sudden yet strained movement. Giovanni was lying on his back, apparently blown backwards by the force of Pikachu's lightning bolt. He was attempting to get to his feet, wobbling precariously as he rose.

His expression was no longer triumphant, the dark smirk void from his lips. Giovanni instinctively knew that he had lost. Mewtwo glared at him with a razor-sharp stare, his eyes glowing blue once more.

Ash felt a hand close around his own as he observed Giovanni's erratic movements that slowly shuffled towards the door. He turned to face Misty, who leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "Ash, wipe that murderous look off your face. Don't tell me you're going to put a knife in his throat after you've already won or something?" Her tone was calm, yet Ash could detect a small fraction of her voice that was her usual stern personality. "Oh, yeah," he growled, his gaze fixated upon Giovanni, who continued to inch towards the exit. "I'm gonna tear his legs off and make him feast upon his rotten flesh! Gimme your knife, Misty," he commanded harshly, holding out his hand.

Misty said nothing. This was not the boy she knew. This wasn't the man she had fallen for. Ash glared at her with a powerful stare that made her spine tingle. "Misty," he repeated. "Give me your knife."

She finally found her voice, though she spoke in barely more than a whisper. "No, Ash," she said. "I will not let you kill this man. He may have been the brains behind our sufferings these last few years, but I now see why he's so dark and evil." Ash's gaze softened slightly, yet remained hard. "Because he's a bloodthirsty criminal tyrant that cares only for the welfare of Team Rocket," Ash growled quietly, making sure that everyone save Misty was well out of earshot of their hushed conversation.

"If he's so bloodthirsty he would have killed us all the moment we came in here," Misty hissed quietly. "The fact that we're still alive suggests that we aren't the ones he wants. Judging by what I've seen and heard here I think I know why he sent Jessie, James, and Meowth after Pikachu for all that time."

This got Ash's attention. "Go on," he whispered. Misty grinned slightly. "I'm guessing here, but when Giovanni first heard of Pikachu and his abnormal power for his level, you would think that he would want him to use for Team Rocket. I think he was actually looking for someone, and he figured his odds were better if he had a two foot high Pokemon that can destroy an entire building with one attack. That's why he had Mewtwo injected with the Serum, because he knew that he would become rebellious and seek our help," she preached in a hushed voice.

Ash had become unable to avert his attention. His eyes remained glued on Misty as his thoughts went berserk. _That explains why he created so much notoriety for himself. He wanted to make himself known to us just enough for us to make him an enemy. _"So he thought that by allowing Mewtwo to become rebellious and threatening to take over an entire region, that would ultimately create a lure strong enough to make us come here, which would have enabled him to snatch Pikachu himself," he whispered.

Misty nodded. "I think so, Ash," she mumbled rather ecstatically "But I think there's more to it than that, Ash. I saw something at your house a while back. I remembered seeing it but I didn't give it a second thought. On your mom's dresser, there are a couple of small patches about the size of a quarter. One of them had a PokeBall with the initials D.C. on it. Giovanni has a copy of the same patch on one of his shoes. The other patch had an Earth Badge and the initials G.R. on it. I think he has a copy of that one as well on the other shoe. Now why the hell would both your mother and Giovanni both have identical patches? You said earlier that there was a guy that your mom left after she got pregnant with you...."

"What are you saying, Misty?" he whispered nervously, though he was sure he already knew what was coming. Misty shuddered slightly. "I think you know, Ash. Giovanni is your real father."

The effect was instantaneous. An explosion of immense anger and hatred spread throughout Ash's mind like cancer. _No, _he thought. _He can't be my father. I hardly ever had a father. _He attempted to launch himself at Giovanni, to make him taste the pain he had caused, but Misty was too fast for him. She restrained him, putting him into a full nelson. "Misty, let GO! He doesn't deserve to live!" he roared.

Misty intensified her grip. "No, Ash, I will not let go!" she yelled. "I don't like it-ugh-any more than you do!" Ash tried to throw her off, but her strength and grip was too strong, yet he continued stubbornly to fight her.

"Mewtwo, get ready to Teleport us, Giovanni, and the rest of the people that came here to Goldenrod Police Station, and immobilize Giovanni so he doesn't try anything stupid!" Misty ordered. "Grrr! Ash, I'm really sorry, but I have to do this!" she yelled, releasing Ash from his prison and spinning him around.

Misty wasted no time. As soon as Ash was facing her, she gave him a viscous heatbutt to the face, which sent him slamming into the floor. His vision swirled and darkened as he saw Misty crouch down and kiss him before unconsciousness claimed him once more.

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A/N: Hey! Wouldn't you knock someone out who was trying to wrestle his way out of a full nelson? I would, or at least I'd try anyway. I'm sorry if Ash and Misty might seem a little out of character, but I felt it was necessary to help wrap up this fanfic. I hope you're still enjoying this story. It's been too much fun to write and plan out how I'm going to continue it. Yes, I'm planning at least one sequel, possibly two if I can find a way to link them all together. And one more thing....I'm giving credit for the Giovanni part of the story to Cultnirvana. I couldn't have come up with half of the stuff here if it weren't for Cultnirvana's fic "Why?" Thanks, Cult, and thanks to everyone who have reviewed. They are much appreciated.


	10. The Last Puzzle Piece

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 10: The Last Puzzle Piece

By: Crichton55

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A/N: Thanks for reading and for the good reviews. Keep 'em coming!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or any of that stuff. I do not own the song "Whispers in the Dark" or "In the Arms of an Angel" either.

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Ash found himself submerged in a familiar, piercing darkness, the only light coming from two glowing pinpricks. His brain ached from all the information that he had processed during the last several hours. Disbelief continued to infect his mind. How could he have not known? How could he have gone his whole life not knowing that his real father was the leader of the largest criminal organization in the world?

His head was weighed down with all the constant overload of new information and stimuli that had been bombarding him relentlessly. His mind was clogged with fatigue and confusing emotions, but as he stood in the darkness, he felt the mental and physical pain of the last few hours gradually begin to leave him mysteriously.

The bluish dots became larger as a blue cloudlike aura illuminated the figure of Mewtwo hovering towards him. Ash did not reach for his belt, but rather greeted the Pokémon with an expressionless stare as he folded his arms. "You didn't need my help."

It was more of a guess than a statement. Mewtwo gazed at him with a smile proportionate to the look a proud father would give his son. "How observant," he said frankly. "You're right, Ash, I could have easily destroyed them and their feeble plans with half my brain shut down."

An instantaneous wave of rage flooded Ash's mind, and a few more drops of liveliness filled his body. "Well, then, what was the point in putting us in that kind of danger?" he roared, throwing his arms up. "Misty was about to spend the last thirty seconds of her life boyfriendless!"

Mewtwo's smile faltered, but did not disappear from his face. "A reality that would have been realized if I hadn't shown up and saved her life and yours for the third time in twelve hours," he snapped scornfully. "I still don't know what happened when my brain was taken over," he continued. "My Recover ability wasn't designed to have enough energy to revive dead people, nor was it meant to be powerful enough to affect more than one person at once. My best guess is that something in the machine malfunctioned and acted somewhat like what a transformer would on power lines, which I expected would happen. I think I did see the lights dim," he surmised, more to himself than to Ash, whose anger had subsided slightly.

"You still didn't answer my question, Mewtwo," he growled as his glare intensified. "Why did you drag all of us into the picture when you easily could have dealt with the problem yourself without much difficulty?" He folded his arms, eyes fixed upon the hovering psychic-type.

"Surely you haven't forgotten what Misty guessed, have you?" inquired Mewtwo. "I thought that you would have understood my motives by now. Giovanni was correct in his assumption that I would ask for your help if he allowed me to revolt and roam free, though he underestimated my own cleverness. I've known for a very long time, probably since I first heard those scientists babbling in the lab where I was created, that Giovanni was your father."

Ash growled deeply. "Why didn't you tell me about it sooner?" he spat. Mewtwo sighed, closing his eyes momentarily as if in shame. "Because I was afraid of what would happen if I did," he explained solemnly. "I didn't know what it could cause. For all I know it could have caused your personality to darken considerably, something that I knew from the start would hinder your chances for a relationship with Misty, which I sensed would appear eventually. It wouldn't have been wise to have all three of you storm Team Rocket's base while quarreling amongst yourselves."

"I could see the logic in Giovanni's plan very clearly," he continued with the same calm voice. "I knew he had designed the entire thing to acquire your Pikachu. He was aware of the power he contained and what he could do with it. Do not underestimate this man, Ash. He's done his homework. He wanted Pikachu because of the immense power that he demonstrated earlier. With that one attack he could overthrow half the solar system if he wanted to. He could locate your mother in a heartbeat with that kind of energy." Mewtwo noted Ash's look of curiosity at the mention of Pikachu's unknown and divine power.

"That attack is legendary, Ash," he said. "Pokémon, primarily electric-types, pass down stories and fairy-tales all based around this one attack, so much that some believe it only a myth, a mere bedtime story designed only to lull young Pokémon to sleep. But this is no fable. Several hundred years ago an entire city was almost erased from existence by an even more powerful version. It's called the 'Thunder of God', one of the most destructive and lethal forces ever seen by both Pokémon and humans. Now imagine if someone like Giovanni got his hands on that kind of immense devastation. The world as we know it now would cease to exist in merely the time it would take for Team Rocket to overthrow it. To answer your question further, Ash, I took you three to face almost certain death because Giovanni viewed you as his biggest threat in his search for your mother. He correctly believed that by both making his organization extremely strong and by making you a big enough enemy, it would mean that you were the only one who could stop him, so naturally he wanted you out of the way, though he misjudged exactly how formidable of an opponent he was chasing around the chessboard."

Ash continued to stare at Mewtwo. "So you planned everything," he said hesitantly. The Pokémon grinned again. "Very good, Ash, yes," he commended softly, nodding his head in satisfaction. "I did plan everything."

"So you planned being controlled by some space-age machine capable of mind control?" Ash inquired, his voice becoming gradually more calm and relaxed. Mewtwo nodded again. "I knew that you three would be too slow to destroy the machine before the Rockets got to it first," he explained with a hint of pride in his voice. "So I sent Jessie, James, and Meowth to the nearby Pokémon Center to hack into your Storage account to withdraw Pikachu. I figured that Pikachu would do anything in his power to save you, including risking his own life by using the Thunder of God, which is another reason why I led you three there. That attack was the only thing any of your Pokémon could pull off that was strong enough to obliterate every computer in there."

Ash snorted. "I'll bet Charizard could make quick work of the job," he boasted. Mewtwo shook his head, a light smirk creeping across his face. "You'd be surprised how rugged their toys are," he sniggered. "You could smash a house on top of one of those things and it would continue to crunch numbers."

Ash smiled briefly, his gaze still firmly glued to Mewtwo. "Okay," he agreed. "So they know how to make crap. What I still can't understand is how none of us got hit by any of the random lightning bolts that looked powerful enough to kill anyone they could've hit," he said with a curious tone. "Sheer dumb luck, I guess," Mewtwo laughed, and Ash managed a medium-sized snort.

"How lucky was Giovanni?" Ash inquired through stifled chuckles. "It seemed like he wasn't having a very good day after we showed up."

"I can't say that he was, either," said Mewtwo with a rather cheerful tone. "I'd venture to guess that after Misty knifed him, he began to realize that his plans were being put in the toilet. Then again, the whole thing seemed to have an ultimate benefit for both sides."

Ash grunted. "How the ruddy hell would a knife to the throat and a blown up base be a good thing for him?" he inquired loudly. His arms dropped down to his side, and his gaze was filled with more interest than anger. Mewtwo sniggered lightly. "I keep forgetting how slow you are, Ash," he said affectionately. Ash growled angrily.

"You and Misty were wise to keep your conversation no more audible than a whisper," Mewtwo praised. "But I'm afraid Giovanni possesses far better selective hearing than I had originally given him credit for. He overheard enough of your discussion to make an accurate guess as to where Delia might now live and to figure out that you are his son. He obviously wouldn't have found out all that if you hadn't stormed his base, just like you and Misty wouldn't be together if I hadn't given you both those dreams."

Something clicked in Ash's mind. It all fit. He remembered Misty telling him about a dream in which he was killed; he never thought much of it. "It was you," he said slowly. "You gave Misty the premonition. But…why?" Ash's voice was full of disbelief, his mind tumbling over the new string of information.

Mewtwo nodded. "Yes, I did, Ash," he confessed. "I feared that Misty would not know what to do when you-"

"You knew I was going to be shot?" Ash bellowed. "I had a hunch, yes," Mewtwo said grimly. "The fact that you were dealing with almost certain death made me fear what might happen if none of you knew what it might look like, so I gave Misty a forewarning of what I guessed to be your most perilous possible situation."

Ash's mind struggled to keep up. New information was entering his brain faster than he could make sense of it. "Why did you choose that particular encounter?" he asked with hesitancy, feeling a bit more of his energy return. "The near certainty of Giovanni showing up," answered Mewtwo. "Had the highest probability rate of one, or more in Brock's case, of you being killed, therefore it would have a greater effect on Misty. I wanted her to be prepared for that occasion should it have arisen. I don't think, however, I could have done anything about preparing you for the truth about Giovanni.

"Don't worry about him antagonizing you anymore, Ash," Mewtwo reassured him as he continued. Ash had assumed an expression of anger at the mention of Giovanni's name. "I forced him to forget all those things long enough for him to be locked up in prison, where he will remember the events, though he won't be able to do much other than eat partially decomposed beans for the next quarter-century. I figured that if he was doomed to pacing back and forth a few feet in either direction for that long, he might as well do so while having another reason for being there."

"So are you saying that he's figured out where she is, and that by solving the first problem we made a bigger one for ourselves later?" he inquired. Mewtwo smiled once more.

"No," he answered. "I believe that a long prison sentence will be more than enough to make him regret his mistakes." Ash smiled and nodded in agreement.

Ash felt more energy rejoin him, and for the first time in hours he wanted nothing more than to see Misty, to feel her warm lips against his. As the seconds ticked by, he felt his head become clearer and lighter. "One last thing," he said. Mewtwo raised his eyebrows. "Is this conversation really happening or am I just unconscious and in some sort of unrealized reality in my head?" he asked, feeling more energy flow through him.

Mewtwo chuckled loudly. "Of course you're unconscious, Ash. Misty made sure of that. But that doesn't mean that it's not real."

Ash nodded, smiling as Mewtwo's glowing figure began to vanish. A final question leapt across his mind. "Wait, Mewtwo," he half-shouted. "Will I ever see you again?"

Mewtwo's evaporating image smiled. "I'm sure you will," he said surely. "Take care of Misty, Brock, and Pikachu for me."

"But where are you going to go?" Ash asked with a slight childish tone." Mewtwo gazed at him as he disappeared entirely. "Wherever my destiny leads me."

Ash's eyes flew open, his heart beating fast as his eyes let in the bright artificial light that radiated through the room

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A/N: Hope you're still enjoying this. R&R.


	11. Absolution

"Whispers in the Dark"

Chapter 11: Absolution

By: Crichton55

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A/N: I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has supported me on this fic. Thanks also for the awesome reviews. They've been my motivation. I will hopefully post an epilogue to tie up some loose ends. Enjoy the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, blah, blah, blah…

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Ash's eyes flew open, his heart beating fast as his eyes let in the bright artificial light that radiated throughout the room. His mind pounded with confusion, his breathing heavy. _Where am I?_ he thought furiously. _Where's Misty?_

His vision slowly cleared as he looked around the room. Two cushy chairs sat abandoned in a corner across the room, and a large window covered by large blinds decorated the wall on his right. The floor appeared to be made of white stone tiles, small wisps of gray dotting the squares. A shrill sense of cleanliness gripped Ash as he glanced around the room; almost everything looked like it had been bathed in hand sanitizer.

A faint snoring noise greeted his ears, and he turned his attention to his side, where Misty snoozed soundly. He smiled as he watched her breathe, confusion slowly beginning to leave him. _Thank God._

He became aware of the fact that he was covered by a thin sheet, and that the only clothing that he could feel was a simple hospital gown, but he didn't care. He gazed at Misty as she snored slightly, her face turned towards him. Her hair had been let down, the strands cascading down past her shoulders like a waterfall.

He soon found himself unable to avert his attention from her. Ash's stare became locked on his girlfriend, marveling at her beautiful face as she slept soundly at his side. He noted the way her arms were keeping her from falling off the side, and began to think that it was quite an achievement for her to be able to avoid falling while still asleep.

His arm moved without much conscious thought. He began running his hand slowly through the long hair, which was greeted by an unconscious groan. Misty began to move slightly in response to Ash's hand, and after a few seconds he heard her start to mumble in her sleep. "Ash…Ash…forget…bike…love…you."

A large smile gashed across Ash's face as his stomach did an involuntary backflip. Almost without thinking, he maneuvered himself so that his face was about an inch from her ear. "I love you, too, Misty," he breathed.

Misty's eyes fluttered open. Moving her head slowly, she looked at Ash and smiled groggily. Ash returned to his original position and lay back down. Misty moved unhurriedly and hovered over him, her hair raining down upon his face. She lowered her head and kissed him softly before kneeling down beside his bed. "How long was I unconscious?" Ash asked quietly.

Misty smiled sleepily. "Depends on what day it is," she groaned as she stretched her arms out. She glanced at a digital clock that hung over the bed. "You've been snoozing for about a full day, because we got here at around midnight when Mewtwo Teleported us and you've been unconscious ever since."

Ash glared at her jokingly. "You hit pretty damn hard," he teased, rubbing his forehead. Misty laughed, tossing a bit of hair out of her face. "Well, I kind of have to. I used to live with three sisters who are all stronger than I am," she explained. "You needed the extra rest anyway. We all did. I had to knock you out to prevent you from doing anything you might regret later."

Ash's mood darkened quickly. He did not want to spoil the moment. "I don't want to talk about that right now, Misty," he growled. "I think it would be better to not even think about him."

Misty's grin turned into a frown. "He might have made our lives a living hell, Ash, but he's your father. I'm pretty sure he had no idea that you're his son, but I do know that he was searching for your mother, and he loved her enough to do anything to find her. But I can understand why you don't want to talk about him."

Ash said nothing; he merely stared at his feet. Misty opened her mouth to speak, but apparently thought better of it and closed it. Silence fell upon the two.

Ash spoke up after a few seconds of antagonizing silence. "Misty, we never got a chance to talk properly about this." Misty looked at him with a curious stare. "About what?" she inquired.

Ash hesitated for a fraction of a second. "About…us," he answered reluctantly. "I mean, what's going to happen now that Brock is the only one of our group that's still single." Misty laughed again and moved closer to him. "Don't worry about him, Ash," she said. "There were about three girls grouped around him at a table when I left him alone."

Ash gave her a dumbfounded look. "You left loverboy alone?" he asked incredulously. Misty giggled girlishly and gave his hand a slight squeeze. "Well, yeah," she answered. "It didn't look like he had gotten slapped yet, and considering how many girls were at the table it didn't seem like it would've been worth the effort to drag him here and make him sit outside."

Ash laughed loudly, causing Misty to glance at the door for fear of attracting attention. "Yeah, I guess you're right," Ash chortled, turning on his side. "He's been waiting a long time for this."

Misty nodded unconsciously, though her attention appeared to have strayed, for she began to stare into Ash's eyes with a broad grin plastered across her face. Silence overran the room once more as Ash absentmindedly stroked Misty's flaming orange hair. She closed her eyes in satisfaction, letting out a soft moan. "Ash, why did you choose me?" Her question was soft and calm, as though she were on the brink of sleep.

Ash was slightly taken aback by the slight randomness of her inquiry, though he did not show his mental surprise. "I often ask myself the same question," he replied with a small sigh, averting his gaze and feeling the burning crimson blush spread across his cheeks. "I dunno," he continued without much conscious thought. He stared at the wall for a few moments, letting his brain wander off to the first few days of his journey. He could still visualize himself hijacking Misty's bike, the mental pain of the Spearow attack still stabbing his memories. "Misty, what was your ultimate plan before we met?"

Ash looked back at Misty, who smiled girlishly. "Training, becoming a Water Pokémon Master, marriage, death. You?" She turned the question back onto Ash, who gripped her hand as he thought momentarily. "Same...and a couple kids," he added with a wishful tone. Misty giggled and leaned forward to kiss him.

"I love you, Ash."

"I love you, too, Misty. Don't ever change."

* * *

Ash stood by the front desk, waiting for Nurse Joy to hand him his healed Pokémon on the usual tray. He wore his usual black shirt and blue jeans, his trademark blue vest draped over his shoulders and League hat adorning his head. He glanced over at Brock, who was sitting at a table in the far corner surrounded by a horde of three giggling girls. He observed his friend as he successfully forced one of the girls into a strong fit of laughter.

"No, no, no, no. You did _not_ say that!" she said through heaves of her chest. Brock chuckled. "I did. I was very shameless back then." The girl continued to laugh loudly as she pounded her fist on the table, hilarity plaguing her mind like a disease. "And that worked?" another girl asked. "Of course not!" Brock answered loudly. "The girl screamed and I was almost arrested!"

An explosion of laughter erupted from the table and spread to everyone who had heard the loud conversation. Ash chortled to himself as he took the tray Nurse Joy handed him. He snapped the Pokeballs back onto his belt and allowed Pikachu to hop onto his shoulder before turning his attention back to Brock, who was still observing the effect of his last comment. He set the tray back onto the counter absentmindedly as he watched.

"Brock, I heard you got yourself in a bit of a bind the other day with your friends. Tell us about that. How much butt did you kick?" asked the girl who had been laughing the loudest. She was supporting her quivering head with her arm, which was partially obscured by a blanket of extremely long brown hair that flowed half-way down her back. Ash guessed that she had been the target of most of Brock's attention, for her free hand was trapped within Brock's large left hand.

Ash needed no explanation as to why Brock appeared to have taken a particular interest in the girl with brown hair. It was the same girl who had clung so tightly to him when Mewtwo had appeared in the middle of the Pokémon Center. She wore a rather tight crimson T-shirt that overlapped a pair of low-cut jean shorts. Her legs were very long and appeared to account for nearly half her total height.

Brock's smile deteriorated slightly at the girl's question, but did not disappear. The mental pain of all the unspeakable evil and violence he had witnessed forced him to cringe and squirm visibly in his seat, though he recovered quickly. He could sense the flirty tone in the girl's mirth-saturated voice, and he knew that it was totally against his nature to let it die down. He had waited too long for this moment. "Well, as you all probably have heard already-"

Ash was unable to resist. "We kicked Team Rocket's miserable, defenseless ass!" he roared. Brock's head fell to the table as he and the girls began to howl with laughter. "How did you manage to pull that off, Brock?" the brown-haired girl asked through hoots of amusement. "There's hundreds of them and only three of you."

Brock regained his composure and looked at her, still grinning dumbly. "Girl, we kicked more ass than you've ever sat on," he answered loudly.

Hilarity detonated over the table with the force of a small bomb. The TV plastered to the wall on the opposite side of the room fell silent as the overwhelming shock wave of laughter forced the brown-haired girl to grip the table tightly for fear of falling to the floor.

A loud yell rent the air, and the laughter died down almost instantly. Ash turned his attention to the direction of the disturbance, Brock and the three girls following suit. Ash saw Jessie, James, and Meowth being dragged towards the door by three male police officers. All three Pokémon thieves had smears of doughnut frosting covering the lower half of their faces and their white uniforms sported numerous smears of dirt and grime. Jessie's hair looked as though it had been not seen a comb in three years while Meowth's thick whiskers were bent in weird directions.

Ash's legs moved seemingly of their own accord. He walked in front of the doors, which opened automatically behind him, and faced the arrest in progress. "Excuse me, officers," he said as politely as he could muster. "I'm pretty sure that these three have every right to be kicked out for sneaking a treat or two from the kitchens, but why are you arresting them?"

One of the officers, whom Ash guessed to be the chief, held out his free arm to stop the others before addressing the trainer who barred his way. "These three are the last remaining registered Team Rocket members in this region that we have warrants to arrest. Move aside, boy, before we take you as well for interfering with an arrest," he growled.

Ash chuckled serenely. "Arrest the one who, if I remember correctly, no more than a day ago saved this entire region from being taken over by the organization that these goofballs are no longer a part of? That's not very nice," he said with a triumphant voice, which drew a mixture of giggles from Misty and the girls who surrounded Brock. He didn't wait for the chief to respond.

"As for these guys," Ash continued, pointing to the sugar-engorged ex-criminals that stood in front of him. "It seems to me that they were the ones that hacked into my Pokémon Storage Account at Mt. Silver and withdrew the Pokémon that ended the war against Team Rocket, saving my life as well as a few thousand others. Why should they be arrested? The only reason that they were having a smorgasbord in the back is because Tuesdays seem to be the only days that they are able to find enough food to have the energy to get them to the next town, let alone keep them alive."

Misty smiled wide and Ash watched in immense satisfaction as the chief's expression faltered. He sensed the cogs in the cop's brain spinning furiously and observed the odd effects they had on his face. His mouth twitched with rapid thought, and after about half a minute, the cop spoke up. "So you're the one who filled up every jail from here to Lavender," he growled with a slight smile on his face. He fiddled around in his pocket and pulled out a rectangular object that was made of thin leather.

Ash took one look at the checkbook and needed no further explanation; knew what was about to happen. He took a small step back. "N-no. I don't want it, sir," he stammered. The cop glanced up at him while clicking a pen. "Kid, there's been a reward for the capture of Giovanni Romanov for the last decade, and every year it increases by half of whatever damage Team Rocket inflicted the previous year."

Ash began to mentally sweat. He was sure that he was still lying unconscious in the Pokémon Center bed. This had to be a dream, a very weird and twisted dream. "W-What's the reward at now?" he asked hesitantly. "Right now? It's, ahh...Let me check here." The chief reached back into his pocket and withdrew a small card and referred to it before pocketing it again. "It's at exactly ten million dollars," the officer said in a tone that sounded like he was giving something as boring as the forecast for tomorrow's weather.

Ash nearly fell over. He never earned more than a couple hundred bucks by winning a Gym match, let alone ten million for overthrowing a world crime superpower. He stumbled backwards and tripped into the cool evening air. Pikachu flew off his shoulder and landed with a loud thump behind him. The chief hovered over him, holding out his hand.

"Who should I make the check out to?" he asked politely. Ash shook his head nervously. "Not to me, that's for damn sure! I'm not the one that deserves that much!" he exclaimed, taking the cop's hand and rising to his feet. Pikachu jumped up and retook his post on his trainer's shoulder, growling slightly. The officer stared at Ash with a glare that made him mentally shudder. "Kid, we have to pay you. Thanks to you, the largest and most notorious criminal superpower on the planet no longer exists. You don't have to take it all, you know."

Something in the cop's tone of voice made the cogs in Ash's head whir to life. _It would be cool to have at least a million bucks,_ he thought. _But I don't want the entire thing. It just doesn't feel right._ He glanced at the faces of Jessie, James, and Meowth, all three of whom were looking up at him with a hodgepodge of expressions that all seemed to ask him to have them released. He turned his attention to Brock.

"Hey, Brock," he called, and Brock turned his head away from the brown-haired girl. "Yeah?" he answered with a twinge of irritation. "Your girl seems to be rather fond of you. Makes me wonder if she wants to travel with us," said Ash with a slight cunning tone, watching in unsuppressed satisfaction as wide smiles gashed across the couple's faces.

He didn't wait for them to respond before he turned his attention back to the officer, who was busy unlocking Jessie's handcuffs. "Sir," he said. "Make out eight checks, all for one million, two hundred fifty thousand dollars, and make them payable to these three-" he motioned towards Jessie, James, and Meowth, "as well as me, Misty Waterflower, Brock Slate, Pikachu, and whatever her name is," he finished, pointing at the brown-haired girl before giving Pikachu a scratch behind the ear.

The officer nodded and opened the checkbook, retrieving a pen from his pocket and clicking it. Ash saw Misty's face light up in the corner of his eye. He smiled wide as he winked briefly at her before approaching the ex-Rockets who stood before him, all three of whom now free of handcuffs. "Don't look at me like that, guys," he jokingly pleaded, noting their disbelieving expressions. "We all know you three are the heroes here, not me."

James lowered his head. "We are no heroes," he said solemnly, eyeing his feet with a transfixed stare. "If we didn't exist, none of this would have happened." Ash sighed and glanced at Jessie, who returned his gaze, before looking back at James.

"James," he said, watching as James peered back up to Ash. "You're right, none of this would have happened if you guys weren't here, but that would also mean that Giovanni would still be in control of Team Rocket and control over this region would probably be his by now. If anyone deserves a million bucks, it's you three."

A shriek of delight was heard and Ash was unceremoniously greeted with Jessie giving him a rib-crunching hug. He could feel her tears dampen his shirt. "Thanks you, Ash," Jessie sobbed. "How can we repay you?"

Ash mentally chuckled as Jessie released him. "Considering you guys helped save my life and a few thousand others, I think I'm the one that needs to repay you," he said, grinning at the trio. "But if there's anything you can do for me, Jessie, it's allowing me to hear you tell James what you muttered in your sleep on the sofa over there."

He watched in immense delight as Jessie's face turned deep red almost instantly. She looked at him with a look of pure rage. "Oh, come on, Jessie," Ash groaned teasingly. "Stop trying to hide it. If you want James that bad, just tell him. Sing him a song, I don't care." Ash waited long enough to see Jessie's expression soften as James looked at her with a shocked stare. He looked at Jessie and nodded before walking over to Brock.

Brock appeared to have long since lost interest in Ash's conversation with Jessie, James, and Meowth and had turned his attention back to the brown-haired girl. Ash took a seat to the right of Brock and addressed him.

"Brock, I think we got to leave now if we want to make it to Ecruteak by sundown," he advised. Brock turned to face him with a slightly disappointed look, yet Ash could sense his exhilaration. "Are you sure about allowing Courtney to travel with us?" Brock inquired with a small hint of eagerness.

Ash glanced at Courtney, who showed Brock's excited tone. "To be quite frank, Brock, I don't care," he said. "But seeing as you finally found someone who didn't slap you on sight, I think it would be grossly unfair if you two had to part here."

A huge smile grew upon both Brock and Courtney's faces, and Brock gave her hand a visible squeeze. Ash grinned as he peered over to the other side of the lobby. "Misty!" he called.

Misty, who had been busying herself with what looked like the new issue of a clothes magazine, glanced up. "Finally ready to go?" she asked teasingly. "Yeah," Ash replied, walking over to the sliding door, which automatically opened. "It's around 8:00 right now and it should take us no more than an hour or so to reach the next town."

Brock and Courtney joined Ash, Misty, and the ex-Rockets at the opened door and they all walked outside. The cool evening breeze greeted them softly. Misty grasped Ash's hand without thinking. "I see the the next badge in your eyes, Ash," she said with a flirty tone.

Ash laughed. "Nah, that's just me wanting something to eat. I've never been hungrier in my life," he said through chuckles. "I'm in the mood for a Big Mac and a side of something you can smother with five bottles of ketchup." Pikachu gave a loud "Pika!" and began jumping around ecstatically on Ash's shoulder.

"Settle down, buddy," Ash said, and Pikachu ceased his dance, though excitement continued to course through him. "First I gotta deposit these checks." Ash waved the eight checks coolly before stuffing them into his pants pocket. He noticed the momentary gaze Jessie, James, and Meowth gave the checks as they disappeared into his pocket. "Stop it, guys," he said. "Don't let the money go to your heads."

James glanced at Jessie and Meowth, who both gave him the same approving look. "Go ahead, James. Tell him," said Meowth. James hesitated before looking back at Ash. Ash looked at him with curiosity

"Ash, if it's not too much trouble, we'd like to travel with you as well," said James uneasily. Ash, Misty, and Brock stared at him with a mixture of disbelieving glances that quickly Jessie took notice of. "We have nowhere to go, Ash," she defended. "I'm scared that all our money will be gone in three weeks. I don't know how to handle that kind of cash. I can't remember the last time I had fifty dollars that stayed in my pocket for more than thirty minutes at a time. You seem to be the only person we know that knows what to do with it and how to make it last." Her tone possessed a hint of pleading.

You feel so lonely and ragged  
You lay there broken and naked  
My love is just waiting  
To clothe you in crimson roses

Ash considered for a few seconds, but before he opened his mouth to respond, Brock whispered in his ear. "Ash, we should take them with us," he advised. "Their main source of money to stay alive is gone, they've got over a million dollars each burning a black hole in their pockets, and it looks like the last time they washed was two weeks ago."

I will be the one that's gonna find you  
I will be the one that's gonna guide you  
My love is a burning, consuming fire

Ash nodded. _These guys are in rough shape, _he thought grimly. He pondered for a few more seconds. "Yeah, you guys can tag along for awhile," he finally agreed. The three ex-criminals hugged each other ecstatically. James wrapped his arms around Jessie and lifted her off her feet while Meowth danced around their ankles. Misty squealed with delight and grabbed Ash, kissing him forcefully and passionately. Brock, observing the scene, followed suit, kissing Courtney enthusiastically. Ash and Misty parted and gazed into each other's eyes, silently agreeing that nothing will ever tear them apart again. "I love you, Ash."

Ash smiled wide. "I love you, too, Misty." He kissed her again, savoring the intense feeling of love he felt for Misty. He could stand there for hours, maybe several sunlit days, locked in the emotional embrace he knew would last forever.

No, you'll never be alone  
When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars  
Hear my whispers in the dark  
No, you'll never be alone  
When darkness comes you know I'm never far  
Hear the whispers in the dark

A loud echoing cackle greeted Ash's ears. He broke the kiss suddenly and looked around for the source of the dark, maniacal laughter that faded slowly, though nothing save the chilly evening breeze and the darkening sunset greeted his curious gaze. Misty glanced around, hoping to find the source of Ash's distraction. "What is it, Ashy boy?" she asked softly, the flirty tone returning to her voice as she leaned on her love.

Ash did not answer. His eyes were transfixed upon the mesmerizing sunset, its swirling hodgepodge of dazzling colors hypnotizing his wandering thoughts. "Nothing, Misty," he said pleasantly, staring back into his girlfriend's gleaming eyes and gripping her tighter. "Just some whispers in the dark."

* * *

A/N: I cannot even express how happy I am to finally get this fanfic done. But then again, it's kinda sad. It's been too much fun writing this thing. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading and thanks to all the people who inspired me to write this and everything else I've produced.

* * *


	12. Epilogue

"Whispers in the Dark"

Epilogue: 10 Years Later

By: Crichton55

* * *

**(Please read this!)** A/N: Here it is, finally. After a year of laboring over this thing, I've finally got the final part of "Whispers in the Dark" completed. Please review. Oh, and also...I think it would help if you reread the first chapter, because I've revised it. It seemed good at first, but I took a second glance and decided to rework it. Sorry if it's an inconvenience, but the last part will make much more sense. Anyway, hope you like the epilogue!

Disclaimer: Why is this such a big deal? What if I did own Pokémon? If I did, most of the stuff I think up here would actually be in the show and not here. No, I don't own Pokémon...

Current Ages:

Ash: 24

Misty: 25

Brock: 27

Courtney: 25

Gary: 24

Pikachu: Hell, I don't know...

* * *

--Indigo Plateau, March 27th, 2019--

Ash's hands were quivering uncontrollably, but he forced himself to ignore his own anxiety. He had come too far to lose his cool here. The deafening screams and shouts of the thousands of spectators that littered the stadium pounded furiously against his eardrums, but again he paid no attention to the distracting stimuli. He knew that close to a decade and a half of solid training was about to be tested. Pikachu stood upon his shoulders with a determined look on his face, a few small sparks of tense yet confident electricity crackling as they leaped from the small rodent's cheeks.

Time seemed to become nonexistent as he walked into the blazing sunlight that blanketed the stadium. Everything looked as though he were watching it at two thousand frames per second. Wild Pidgey that flew overhead seemed to creep through the air like slugs as the blood continued to thunder to his head. This was it, the moment he'd been waiting for his entire life. The mental image of himself being crowned "Pokémon Master" flashed across his mind momentarily as he addressed Pikachu.

"Pikachu." Pikachu looked up at his trainer loyally. "This is it, buddy," Ash said in a nervous yet determined voice. "This is what we've trained so hard for, but we can't let all that experience allow us to get cocky. Your battle strategy should be concentrating mainly on evading your opponent's attacks. Evade as much as you can in every way you can, even if you have to run around like a decapitated chicken. Tiring them out with your speed is a good start, then steadily attack with Thunderbolts. The last thing we need is you getting within striking distance of a melee attack. If all else fails, you know what to do, _but only use it as a last resort. _Think you can do that, Pikachu?" Ash inquired, glancing at his electric mouse.

Pikachu assumed an expression that clearly said that he was capable of much more than what his trainer had prescribed. The Pokémon cried out as a large bolt of electricity sprang from his cheeks and stretched out to the middle of the stadium, where it contorted into a hand that moved as though it were summoning an unknown opponent. Ash's smile did not falter as he watched as the sparking hand slowly faded. "That's what I thought," he said.

The announcer's booming voice roared over the loudspeakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the battle of the decade! The fight for the title of World's Greatest Pokémon Master is about to begin! Our challenger is none other than Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, who will compete against our current Champion for the title of Pokémon Master! Please welcome Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak!!"

The effect was instantaneous. At the very mention of Gary's name, the audience went berserk. An explosion of shouting and hollering greeted Ash's ears, but again he ignored the outside pressure. He watched as Gary stepped out into the blazing sunlight, dressed in a black t-shirt and sporting his usual ruffled brown hair. Ash registered dimly how odd it was to see Gary completely alone; his trademark cheerleading squad was nowhere to be found.

"Both trainers will only use one Pokémon each! Ash Ketchum will battle with Pikachu, up against Gary Oak's unknown choice. Players, shake hands!" The announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers once more, and Ash and Gary proceeded to walk up to each other.

Ash's rival sported his trademark smirk, but his face was otherwise expressionless. Ash approached Gary and held out his hand. The two trainers stared the other in the eye intently as they shook hands.

"Good luck, Ashy boy," said Gary in his old familiar sneer. "This should be easy work for you." Ash shook his head and smiled slightly. "Team Rocket's got nothing on this, Gary," he said. "This is the true test. We both know that." They dropped hands and stood in silence for a split-second.

"Win or lose, Ash, this battle doesn't mean crap," said Gary. "We're still friends, but do me a favor." Ash looked at him curiously. "What's that?"

"Go ahead and marry Misty," Gary chuckled slightly, and Ash felt a rash of crimson flare on his cheeks. "Oh, c'mon, Ash, I can see it in your face," Gary continued. "You've been dating her for a decade. Marry the poor girl already!" Ash gave a small laugh and averted his gaze. "Maybe you're right, Gary," he said. "Good luck to you, too."

Ash looked back up to his old rival and smiled. Their rivalry had diminished significantly over the decade since Ash overthrew Team Rocket. Gary had called him a week after Ash had infiltrated the base at Mt. Silver, congratulating him for his history-making achievement. The call had lasted for no more than five minutes, though throughout the entire conversation Ash had sensed in his rival's voice that he no longer saw himself as the better trainer, a hunch Ash still kept to himself.

Gary gave his old rival a slightly stiff nod, which Ash returned. Ash turned to walk back to his end of the field, Gary following suit. Small sparks continued to jump from Pikachu's cheeks as he walked. "Easy, Pikachu," Ash muttered. "Save your energy, buddy."

He turned to face the field, and it was then that he felt his anxiety jump. His arms began shaking uncontrollably once more, something that he knew had nothing to do with the mildly chilly breeze that ruffled his jet-black hair. The fact that the last decade and a half of training was to prepare him for the next five minutes made his mind go numb with nervousness and fear.

He heard an abnormally loud shout from behind him. "Ash!" He turned around to see Misty sitting in the stands behind him, waving frantically with one hand and holding up a large stiff paper sign with the other. The sign was adorned with a large blue arrow pointing down and fat colored letters that read, "Ash's Number One Fan." He smiled as he watched Misty jump up and down. Her long orange hair flowed elegantly down her back, mesmerizing Ash as he blew her a kiss. A smile gashed across her face. Brock, who sat on her right with Courtney beside him, greeted him with a thumbs-up, which Ash returned.

He felt the medium-sized rectangular lump in his pocket, and he glanced back at Misty. _Win or lose, Misty, _he thought while turning around to face the field. _Win or lose._

"Let the battle begin!" The announcer's booming voice caused a disease of chaos and anarchy to sweep across the stadium. Ash assumed his battle stance, turning his trademark cap around on his head. "Go, Pikachu!" He pointed towards the field with a triumphant expression as the electric mouse leapt off his shoulders.

Gary threw a PokéBall onto the field in response. "Go, Umbreon!" The PokéBall exploded with a flash of light, revealing a night-black Umbreon, who growled loudly. Sparks continued to fly from Pikachu's cheeks as the two Pokémon sized each other up.

"Umbreon, Quick Attack!" The black Pokémon took off like a rocket, speeding towards Pikachu with lightning-fast speed. "Dodge it, Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped at the last possible moment, letting Umbreon pass harmlessly under him as he cart-wheeled through the air. "Thunderbolt, now!" Ash roared.

Pikachu let loose an enormous bolt of lightning as he landed skillfully, which crashed unceremoniously into Umbreon. The black Pokémon screamed in pain, but did not falter when the electricity ceased. He shook his black fur and glared at Pikachu. The electric mouse looked momentarily taken aback by the fast recovery, but regained his composure quickly. _This might be a little more difficult to negotiate, _he thought to himself.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" A crackling aura of spherical electricity wrapped around Pikachu. His expression darkened as he sprinted towards Umbreon with lightning-fast speed. Pikachu slammed into Umbreon with bone-jarring force, sending him spiraling backwards across the field. He landed hard on the ground with a sickening thud, but leapt to his feet quickly and effortlessly.

Ash thought furiously to himself. _Damn, Volt Tackle didn't work. Gary's Umbreon is a lot tougher than the last time I saw him. Conventional attacks aren't working. I might have to experiment here._ "Pikachu! Combine Agility with your Thunder attack and run around him!"

"Umbreon, use Sand-Attack!" Umbreon turned his back to Pikachu, who dashed towards the black Pokémon while surrounded by crackling electricity, and began kicking up tremendous amounts of dirt and dust with his hind legs. The caustic cloud flew past Pikachu. He skidded to a halt, coughing and gagging as he fought for breathable air. "Good, Umbreon! Now use Assurance!" Gary roared.

The black Pokémon turned around and opened his mouth once more, a small glowing orb the size of a golf ball forming in his mouth. Several purple curving beams of light exploded from the sphere and slammed into Pikachu, forcing him to scrape along the ground for several yards.

The announcer's voice roared over the loudspeakers. "Oh! I don't care what region you're from. That's gotta hurt!" Ash ignored the announcer and cringed as Pikachu got up. "Pikachu!" he shouted. "Change your strategy! Lure him into the center!" Pikachu glanced at his trainer and nodded in silent agreement.

Gary appeared to have not heard and neither, to Ash's immense relief, did Umbreon. "Umbreon! Use Hidden Power!" Pikachu regained his battle stance, watching as white spheres of energy began circling around Umbreon. The spheres enlarged and then exploded away from the black Pokémon.

Pikachu sprang upward to avoid the white glowing balls of energy, landing nimbly in the center of the dirt field. _C'mon, Umbreon, c'mon, _Ash thought furiously. _Take the bait._

"Umbreon, use another Quick Attack!" Umbreon charged at Pikachu like a bullet, his legs moving faster than Ash's eyes could register. Pikachu braced for impact as Umbreon sped towards him, and for a split-second Ash's eyes met his. Pikachu could see the determined look in his trainer's face, and instantly he knew what Ash wanted him to do. "Pikachu! Do it, NOW!" Ash thundered.

Pikachu's eyes began to glow white as he rose into the air. Umbreon stopped dead in his tracks, watching as white waves of energy coated Pikachu's body, forming a flowing aura as the electric mouse drifted upwards. The entire stadium fell silent almost instantaneously; everyone's eyes were glued on the electric mouse. Dark, menacing clouds began to swirl above the field, directly in line with a floating Pikachu.

The air around Pikachu exploded outward with the force of a small bomb. The energy of the detonating air sent a giant shock wave throughout the stadium as a large pillar of lightning phased through Pikachu before slamming into the ground. The light emitted from the pillar was intense. Umbreon merely stood where he was, mesmerized by the electrical cylinder of light.

There was a secondary explosion as the column of energy changed course. It ceased to pass through Pikachu, stopping and engorging around him as though it were a giant, yellow balloon filling with water. The ball of energy glowed with intense light as it expanded slowly. Larger and larger it swelled, until, as if it could contain the energy no longer, a blast of lightning erupted from the floating yellow orb and crashed into Umbreon.

The black Pokémon screamed as though he were being tortured. The force of the blast sent him skidding backwards across the dirt field before coming to a halt up against the wall, where the lightning continued to sizzle around Umbreon.

Ash watched in awe. He knew that this was Pikachu's strongest attack, having seen it only once before. He could tell that Pikachu was trying to limit the power of the attack, for its previous version had been much louder and much wider in diameter. He smiled at Pikachu's concern; he knew his friend did not want to hurt his opponent too much.

As quickly as it had come, the lightning vanished, and Pikachu fell to the ground, Umbreon's screams of pain subsiding. Pikachu landed skillfully on all fours. His breathing was heavy and bits of his fur were slightly charred. His legs buckled with fatigue and his red cheeks gave a couple of feeble crackles.

Umbreon lay motionless on the field. His black fur smoldered slightly under the heat of the electricity that had passed through him. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were shut, his limbs inactive. Gary cried out. "No, Umbreon!"

The silence was deafening. The crowd's roars of triumph were nonexistent. They merely stood where they were, disbelief sweeping across the stands. A lone clapping noise came from behind Ash, and he knew instinctively that Misty had started to applaud.

A slow tidal wave of hesitant clapping and cheering flowed unhurriedly across the stadium, until Ash's ears screamed in protest under the overwhelming din. "Umbreon is unable to battle!" shouted the referee. "Pikachu wins!"

The air exploded with sound. Misty gave an ear-shattering scream of delight and jumped over the railing that divided the stands from the field. She ran over to Ash and squeezed him with bone-crushing force, planting a hard yet passionate kiss upon his lips. "I-I don't believe this, folks!" stammered the announcer. "I have never seen anything quite like this. I think we have a new Pokémon Master here! Give it up for Ash Ketchum!"

The crowd detonated with applause. Ash and Misty broke apart and watched as Pikachu leaped into Ash's arms in slow motion. His mind felt numb. Disbelief plagued him like cancer. _I did it,_ he thought. The overwhelming truth began to crash over him. He could do nothing but hug his two best friends and laugh, to embrace the reason his journey was finally over at last.

* * *

"Okay, Misty, almost there! Hey! You keep that blindfold on! No peeking!" Ash led Misty out the door of his Pallet Town home and onto the rocky walkway that connected the front porch to the sidewalk that sat twenty feet away. Misty tried yanking on the blue blindfold, but Ash's knot tying skill prevented her from regaining her sight.

"Ugh! How can you possibly tie...ugh...this tight of a knot, Ash?" Misty tugged on the fabric, yet it continued to resist her pull. Ash ignored her and continued to lead her onwards until they were five feet from the road. He halted Misty. "Okay, Misty," he said as he untied the cloth. "Take a look."

She opened her eyes and gasped loudly. A shiny blue sports car sat dormant in front of her with a giant red bow adorning its top. The blue paint shone magnificently as she gawked, the white stripes that streaked down the center reflecting the mesmerizing afternoon sunlight. The car seemed to radiate with gleaming light.

"You said 'forget the bike', Misty," Ash told her, smiling at the disbelieving expression that adorned Misty's face. "So I got something that has a little bit more power. It's a Dodge Viper GTS, Misty. Around four-hundred horsepower." Misty ran her hand down the shiny metal slowly, covering her mouth with the other. "A-Ash, y-you didn't have to do this," she stammered quietly. Ash put a hand on her shoulder softly. "I wanted to, Misty," he responded. "You deserve it for putting up with me for all this time."

Misty continued to stare incredulously at the car. "This is not my car. This can't be my car," she said slowly, disbelief plaguing her voice. Ash reached into his pocket and withdrew a single gleaming key, which he placed into Misty's hand. Her fingers slowly encased the metal key.

She turned to face him. "Thank you, Ash." She kissed him forcefully, encircling her arms around him. Ash embraced her and kissed back, and for what seemed like several years the two of them stood there, lost in their own loving embrace.

Ash broke the kiss and turned towards his mother, who had appeared in the front doorway. "Mom, where did I put that thing?" Delia walked towards him. "I have it here," she said, handing him a small black velvet box. "You left it on your dresser."

Misty's gaze locked on him, her mouth open wide as she realized what was about to happen before it did. Ash knelt down and flipped open the box, which revealed a silver ring with a gleaming black diamond decorating its top. The black stone seemed to radiate with rippling energy, the dark color appearing to flow within the diamond.

"Misty, will you marry me?"

* * *

Ash glanced at the digital clock mounted on the bedroom wall. 10:24 PM, April 1st, 2029. He looked back at Mystic and Ashton, wide smiles gashing across their faces. The two children sat cross-legged on the small pink bed and looked at their father with a mixture of amazed expressions.

"Wow! That was an awesome story, daddy!" Mystic exclaimed. Her red hair waved vigorously as she shook in excitement. "You said all of that was true?"

Ash laughed and ruffled his daughter's hair playfully. "Yes, Mystic, it's all true," he confirmed, and Ashton let out a loud gasp of amazement. "Even the part when Pikachu blew up all those machines and shocked the big Mewtwo guy?" he asked with keen interest.

Pikachu hopped up on Ash's shoulder and beamed at the two children. _"You bet! That was so awesome! Mewtwo never saw it coming!"_ he said excitedly. Small, excited sparks jumped around his red cheeks, but then it seemed he was reminded of his own fatigue, for he yawned and the sparks faded away.

Ash laughed and scratched the electric mouse under the ear. "But what happens next, daddy?" asked Mystic curiously. "Is that the end?" Ash grinned at his daughter and stood up. He saw that Misty, who was dressed in an aqua-blue nightshirt, had appeared in the doorway. "No, Pip, that's not the end of the story," Ash said, looking down and watching as the girl's smile widened. "But I'll tell you both the rest tomorrow night. Off to bed, you two!"

The kids groaned loudly, though obeyed with a hint of reluctance. Mystic crawled underneath the pink blanket while Ashton scampered over to his own bed and followed suit. He quickly disappeared under the blue bedding. Pikachu yawned deeply and jumped off Ash's shoulder. _"Night, Ash,"_ he said groggily before disappearing unhurriedly down the hall, and a second later Ash heard the sound of a door closing.

Ash walked to the doorway. "G'night, you two," he said before switching off the overhead light. He closed the door and turned to face Misty. He noticed that her hair had been let down, the silky orange strands flowing halfway down her back. "See?" he whispered. "Piece of cake. They loved it."

Misty snickered softly. "Yeah, but that was just the first part," she said with a warning tone, though Ash could detect a hint of teasing in her voice. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

"Tomorrow, you get to tell them the second half of the story. Then it'll get interesting."

* * *

A/N: If you were confused about the ending bit, go reread Chapter 1. I've revised it because the first edition didn't feel too good anymore. But at any rate, there you have it, a nice happy ending. I thank everyone who has supported me on this fic, and I promise you I will write more. Please continue the good reviews.


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